Platinum-based chemotherapy in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer: the Institut Curie experience

Although recent experimental data strongly suggest that platinum-based chemotherapy (PBCT) could improve the outcome of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), clinical data are lacking. Here, the authors reviewed clinical outcome in patients with metastatic TNBC treated with PBCT.

We conducted a retrospective analysis of all patients (N=143) treated for metastatic breast cancer with PBCT between 2000 and 2008, at Institut Curie, Paris, France. Ninety-three of them (63.7%) had TNBC. One-hundred twenty patients received cisplatin (CDDP). The main combination used was CDDP-ifosfamide, in 101 patients (70.2%).

Median follow-up was 44 months. For the overall population (N=143), median overall survival (OS) and median progression-free survival (PFS) were 11 and 5 months, respectively. Objective response rate was 33.3% in the TNBC group versus 22% in non-TNBC, P=0.1. We observed no difference of OS, PFS and response duration. Other prognostic factors for poor OS were visceral metastasis sites (P<0.001). One patient died from sepsis during aplasia, 15 had to switch from CDDP to carboplatin because of CDDP-related toxicity.

Metastatic TNBC patients treated with PBCT tended to have a higher response rate, without a significant improvement of PFS or OS, compared with other subtypes. Toxicity was acceptable. Longer observation and further analysis are warranted.