Ifosfamide + mitoxantrone in advanced breast cancer previously treated with anthracyclines

We treated 19 patients previously exposed to anthracyclines (progression during therapy or after discontinuation of therapy) with ifosfamide (IFO) 2 g/m2 i.v. in a 1-h infusion daily for 3 days with mesna uroprotection and mitoxantrone (MZT) 12 mg/m2 on day 1 of every 3-week cycle. The response rate was assessed after two cycles. A response to treatment was observed in 6 of 15 evaluable patients (40%), with no complete remission and 6 partial remissions. The median duration of response was 6+ months (3+ to 12+). The toxicity was acceptable, with three episodes of grade 3-4 myelosuppression (8%) and one case of congestive heart failure resulting from a fluid overload that responded to medical treatment. The IFO-MZT combination is an effective second-line regimen in advanced breast cancer previously treated with anthracyclines.