Preoperative twice-weekly paclitaxel with concurrent radiation therapy followed by surgery and postoperative doxorubicin-based chemotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer: a phase I/II trial.

Purpose: Preoperative chemotherapy is the conventional primary treatment in locally advanced breast cancer (LABC). We investigated the safety and efficacy of primary twice-weekly paclitaxel and concurrent radiation (RT) before modified radical mastectomy followed by adjuvant doxorubicin-based chemotherapy.

Patients And Methods: Stage IIB (T3N0) to III LABC patients were eligible.

Low HER2/neu gene expression is associated with pathological response to concurrent paclitaxel and radiation therapy in locally advanced breast cancer.

Purpose: The objective of this study was twofold: first, to identify patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) who will achieve a pathological response to a preoperative regimen of concurrent paclitaxel and radiation; and second, to explore associations between molecular markers from the original tumors and pathological response.

Methods And Materials: Patients with previously untreated LABC were eligible to receive a regimen of preoperative concurrent paclitaxel, 30 mg/m(2) twice a week for a total of 8 weeks, and radiation delivered Weeks 2--6, 45 Gy at 1.8 Gy per fraction to the breast, ipsilateral axilla, and supraclavicular nodes.