[Effective therapeutic regimens for patients with triple-negative (ER/PgR/HER2-negative) metastatic breast cancer].

The so-called triple-negative (TN) metastatic breast cancer (MBC), that is, MBC expressing no hormone receptors or HER2 protein, has attracted attention because of its low response rate to drug therapy and poor prognosis after recurrence. Of 423 MBC patients in our hospital in and after 2001, 54 had TN tumors. The median survival time (MST) of TN patients (25 months) was shorter than the MSTs of HR (+)/HER2 (-), HR (+)/HER2 (+), and HR (-)/HER2 (+) patients (69, 58, and 39 months, respectively).

[Stratification with respect to hormone receptor and HER 2/neu in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer; sensitivity to taxane].

Of 231 patients with recurrent or metastatic breast cancer treated in Hiei Hospital between January 2001 and March 2005, for whom data on hormone receptor (HR) and HER 2/neu were available, we retrospectively analyzed the association of the response rate with HR and HER 2 in 172 patients treated with taxane in whom the treatment response could be evaluated. Among the patients treated with taxane alone,the response rates were 37.5% (n=67) in the HR (+) patients and 14.

A case of metachronous bilateral breast cancer with bilateral radiation pneumonitis after breast-conserving therapy.

We report a patient with metachronous bilateral breast cancer who has twice developed radiation pneumonitis after breast-conserving therapy for each breast. The patient was a 48-year-old woman, who presented with Stage I right breast cancer. After wide excision of the right breast tumor and dissection of level I axillary lymph nodes, systemic therapy with oral 5-FU and tamoxifen was started.

Ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) after breast-conserving treatment for early breast cancer: risk factors and impact on distant metastases.

Background: The clinical features of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) after breast conserving therapy (BCT) for early stage breast cancer were analyzed from long-term follow-up of BCT in Japan. The purpose of this study was to clarify risk factors of IBTR and the impact of IBTR on development of distant metastases in this ethnic group.

Methods: Patients (N = 1901)with unilateral breast cancer < or = 3 cm in diameter who underwent BCT at 18 Japanese major breast cancer treatment institutes from 1986 to 1993 were registered in this study.

[Bi-weekly chemotherapy with medium-dose docetaxel for advanced and recurrent breast cancers (The 15th study of Keiji Breast Cancer Study Group)].

The efficacy and safety of bi-weekly administration of medium-dose docetaxel (TXT) were evaluated in patients with advanced and recurrent breast cancers. The additional effect of 5'-DFUR for non-responders was also evaluated. Forty patients with advanced and recurrent breast cancers were treated and 38 cases of 40 were evaluated (34 with recurrent cases and 4 with advanced cases).

Bilateral breast-conserving therapy for bilateral breast cancer: results and consideration of radiation technique.

Background: Although breast-conserving surgery followed by definitive irradiation is an established treatment for patients with early breast cancer, the role of breast-conserving therapy (BCT) for patients with bilateral breast cancer has not been well studied and the radiation therapy technique is still under investigation. We examined the feasibility of breast-conserving therapy for bilateral breast cancer and present here our radiation therapy technique with CT simulator.

Methods: Between July 1990 and December 1998, we treated 17 patients with bilateral breast cancer who underwent bilateral breast-conserving surgery followed by definitive irradiation.

Analysis of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrences after breast-conserving treatment based on the classification of true recurrences and new primary tumors.

Background: Ipsilateral breast tumor recurrences (IBTR) after breast-conserving treatment include two different entities: true recurrence (TR) thought to occur when residual cancer cells grow gradually to detectable size and new primary (NP) thought to be de novo cancer independently arising in the preserved breast. The patients with ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) are potentially at high risk for subsequent distant metastasis, but many studies do not distinguish between these types of recurrence. The aim of this study is to clarify the biological difference between TR and NP, and to show the clinical significance of classifying IBTR into these two types of recurrence.

Feasibility of breast-conserving therapy for macroscopically multiple ipsilateral breast cancer.

Purpose: Macroscopically multiple ipsilateral breast cancer (MMIBC) is generally considered a contraindication for breast-conserving therapy (BCT). The result of BCT for MMIBC is reported and the feasibility discussed.

Methods And Materials: Between July 1993 and February 1999, 34 patients with MMIBC underwent BCT at our clinic.