[The safety of docetaxel with cyclophosphamide (TC) therapy as adjuvant chemotherapy for Japanese women with operable breast cancer].

The safety of docetaxel (60 mg/m(2)) plus cyclophosphamide (600 mg/m(2)) every three weeks (TC) as adjuvant therapy for Japanese women with operable breast cancer was evaluated. Ehime TC Study Group initiated the randomized control study,which compared the effects of the TC course number (4 cycles versus 8 cycles) in the adjuvant setting on the treatment outcomes of breast cancer patients. Eight patients were investigated on the side effects of TC therapy, four of them were allocated to 4 cycles of TC, and four to eight cycles from May, 2004 to Feb. 2005. Leukocytopenia and neutropenia of grade 3 or 4 were seen in 50% and 63% of the cases, respectively. No febrile neutropenia was seen. Although the non-hematological side effects of grade 3 or 4 were not observed, alopecia, stomatitis, skin toxicities and edema of grade 2 were seen in 100%, 25%, 25%, 13% of cases, respectively. TC therapy was well tolerated. All anticancer drugs could be administered as scheduled. From these preliminary results, TC therapy seems to be able to be safely prescribed postoperatively for Japanese women operated for breast cancer.