Mitoxantrone and cyclophosphamide in patients with advanced breast cancer

Twenty-eight patients with advanced breast cancer who had no prior chemotherapy received 14 mg/m2 of mitoxantrone iv on Day 1 and 600 mg/m2 of cyclophosphamide on Day 2, repeated every 4 weeks. Three patients (10%) achieved complete response and ten (36%) achieved partial response. The dose-limiting toxicity was leukopenia, and no septicemia occurred. Slightly greater than 50% of the patients had a wbc count nadir less than 2000/mm3. Based on the remarkably good tolerability, ie, mild nausea, rarely severe alopecia, and observed remission rate, this combination represents a positive addition to chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer.