[A case of left breast cancer resulting in complete response by primary systemic therapy]

The patient was a 39-year-old woman, who noted a mass in her left breast. She was diagnosed with the left breast cancer (T4N2M0, stage IIIB) in our hospital. As primary systemic therapy, she received 4 cycles of FEC 100 every 21 days, and then 4 cycles of paclitaxel (180 mg/m(2)) every 21 days. Clinical CR was maintained, and a total mastectomy with axillary lymph node dissection was performed. The resected specimen showed no visible cancer cells in both the primary site and axillary lymph nodes. The effect of the chemotherapy was grade 3, pathological CR, and all lymph node metastases disappeared.