Clinical efficacy of local targeted chemotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of superselective intra-arterial targeted neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of estrogen receptor (ER)-negative, progesterone receptor (PR)-negative, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative (triple-negative) breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS. A total of 47 triple-negative breast cancer patients (29 at stage II, 13 at stage III and 5 at stage IV) were randomly assigned to two groups: targeted chemotherapy group (n=24) and control group (n=23). Patients in the targeted chemotherapy group received preoperative superselective intra-arterial chemotherapy with CEF regimen (C: cyclophosphamide [600 mg/m(2)]; E: epirubicin [90 mg/m(2)]; F: 5-fluorouracil [600 mg/m(2)]), and those in the control group received routine neoadjuvant chemotherapy with CEF. The duration of the treatment, changes in lesions and the prognosis were determined. RESULTS: The average course of the treatment was 15 days in the targeted chemotherapy group which was significantly shorter than that in the control group (31 days) (P<0.01). The remission rate of lesions was 91.6% in the targeted chemotherapy group and 60.9% in the control group, respectively. Among these patients, 9 died within two years, including 2 (both at IV stage) in the targeted chemotherapy group and 7 (2 at stage II, 4 at stage III and 1 at stage IV) in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: As an neoadjuvant therapy, the superselective intra-arterial chemotherapy is effective for triple-negative breast cancer, with advantages of the short treatment course and favourable remission rates as well as prognoses.