Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced primary breast cancers: the Nottingham experience

Of our study was to assess and compare the outcome of patients undergoing anthracycline based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced primary breast cancers with patients receiving mitoxantrone, methotrexate and mitomycin (MMM) as neoadjuvant agents.

Records of 50 consecutive patients receiving anthrcycline based chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancers from July 1996 to July 2004 were analysed with regard to locoregional recurrence, metastasis and survival. The MMM group comprised of 56 consecutive patients receiving MMM chemotherapy between 1989 and 1994. The unit protocol for patients receiving multimodal therapy has been neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by Patey's mastectomy, radiotherapy and endocrine treatment if ER-positive. Patients were followed-up in the clinic until either death or the last clinic visit on or before December 2005 in the anthracycline group and on or before December 1999 in the MMM group.

There was no significant difference between the two groups with regard to number of patients, tumour size, grade, ER positivity and median duration of follow-up from start of chemotherapy. Significantly more patients in the anthracycline group had complete clinical response and 44% of the patients in anthracycline group had node negative disease compared to 4% in the MMM group. Anthracycline group when compared to MMM group had a lower incidence of locoregional recurrence (6% vs 19%), distant metastasis (20% vs 55%) and survival (82% vs 45%) at the end of follow-up, which was statistically significant.

Anthracycline based neoadjuvant chemotherapy has better response and significantly better outcome compared to MMM chemotherapy.