Evolution of Health-Related Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Patients during the First Year of Follow-Up.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to describe the evolution of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a cohort of breast cancer patients over 1 year after surgery and to analyse the predictive ability of HRQOL measurement instruments.

Methods: Observational, multicenter and prospective study of a cohort of breast cancer patients, assessing HRQOL at 1, 6, and 12 months after surgery using three questionnaires: EuroQol-5D-3L, EORTC QLQ-C30, and EORTC QLQ-BR23.

Results: A total of 364 women participated in the study.

Factors associated with health-related quality of life in a cohort of Spanish breast cancer patients.

Background: Several factors can modify health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of breast cancer survivors. The objective of the current study was to analyse the associations between HRQOL scores 1 year after breast cancer surgery and sociodemographic and clinical factors.

Methods: This was an observational, multicentre and prospective study of a cohort of patients who underwent oncological breast cancer surgery and which was followed up for 1 year.

Removal of primary tumor improves survival in metastatic breast cancer. Does timing of surgery influence outcomes?

Background: Resection of intact primary tumor is controversial in metastatic breast cancer patients. The aim of this study is to review the impact of surgical resection of primary tumor on overall survival and to assess the role of timing of surgery on survival rates.

Methods: 208 patients with metastatic breast cancer diagnosed between 1982 and 2005 in the Hospital Clinico of Valencia (Spain) were analysed.

Phase III trial evaluating the addition of paclitaxel to doxorubicin followed by cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil, as adjuvant or primary systemic therapy: European Cooperative Trial in Operable Breast Cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate the addition of paclitaxel to an anthracycline-based adjuvant regimen and to compare this combination with the same regimen given as primary systemic (neoadjuvant) therapy.

Patients And Methods: A total of 1,355 women with operable breast cancer were randomly assigned to one of three treatments: surgery followed by adjuvant doxorubicin (75 mg/m(2)) followed by cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil (CMF; arm A); surgery followed by adjuvant paclitaxel (200 mg/m(2)) plus doxorubicin (60 mg/m(2)), followed by CMF (arm B); or paclitaxel (200 mg/m(2)) plus doxorubicin (60 mg/m(2)) followed by CMF followed by surgery (arm C). The two coprimary objectives were to assess the effects on relapse-free survival (RFS) of the addition of paclitaxel to postoperative chemotherapy (arm B v arm A) and primary chemotherapy versus adjuvant chemotherapy (arm B v arm C).

Feasibility and tolerability of sequential doxorubicin/paclitaxel followed by cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil and its effects on tumor response as preoperative therapy.

Purpose: The European Cooperative Trial in Operable breast cancer (ECTO) randomly tested whether efficacy of adjuvant doxorubicin followed by i.v. cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil (CMF; doxorubicin-->CMF, arm A) could be improved by adding paclitaxel (doxorubicin/paclitaxel-->CMF) as adjuvant (arm B) or primary systemic therapy (PST, arm C).