Clinical outcome of docetaxel in advanced or metastatic endometrial cancer

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy, safety and toxicity of docetaxel as first-line chemotherapy or in previously treated patients (one regimen) with recurrent or metastatic endometrial cancer.

Prospective phase II study in patients referred to the Department of Clinical Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Egypt.

Fifty patients with advanced or metastatic endometrial cancer were enrolled to receive docetaxel 70 mg/m(2) administered intravenously on day 1 of a 3-week cycle. If patients responded well to docetaxel, additional cycles were administered until progressive disease or unacceptable toxicity occurred. Therapy response was evaluated every 6 weeks.

Of 50 patients with a median age of 60 years (range, 40-70 years) who entered the study, 17 patients (34%) had received one prior chemotherapy regimen. All patients were evaluable for efficacy, yielding an overall response rate of 34% (95% confidence interval, 14.8%-55.6%); complete response and partial response (PR) were 4% and 30%, respectively. Of 17 pretreated patients, 5 (29%) had a PR. The median duration of response was 2 months. The median time-to-progression was 4 months and the median survival time was 18 months. The predominant toxicity was grade 3-4 neutropenia, occurring in 92% of the patients, although febrile neutropenia arose in 10% of the patients. Edema was mild and infrequent.

The study clearly demonstrated that docetaxel is active in the treatment of endometrial cancer. Toxicity was manageable and predominantly hematologic.