Mitoxantrone: a phase II study in the treatment of patients with advanced breast carcinoma and other solid tumours

A phase II study of mitoxantrone, an anthraquinone derivative with structural similarities to adriamycin, has been carried out in 34 patients with advanced breast carcinoma and other malignancies. The first 20 patients were treated with a starting dose of 12 mg/m2 by IV infusion repeated every 3 weeks; this was escalated to 14 mg/m2 in the subsequent 14 patients. Of the 29 patients with advanced breast carcinoma, 8 achieved a partial response and two further patients achieved a mixed response. There were no complete responses. Of the eight responding patients, five had received no prior chemotherapy. Response duration ranged from 3 1/2 months to 10+ months. No responses were seen in the other five patients, three whom had small cell carcinoma of the lung, and one colonic carcinoma. Neutropenia was the most frequently seen toxicity but was usually mild and transient; WBC fell to less than 2,000/mm3 in eight patients and to less than 1,000/mm3 in only two. Otherwise, the drug was well tolerated; nausea occurred in 35% of patients and vomiting in 21%; severe alopecia requiring a wig was never seen. Mitoxantrone appears to be a well-tolerated and clinically active agent against advanced breast carcinoma.