One hundred sixteen patients with metastatic breast cancer who achieved complete remission with combination chemotherapy were analyzed to ascertain the factors that affect the duration of complete remission and the patterns of relapse. The median duration of complete remission was 17 months. Disease recurred in 81 patients (70%) at periods ranging from 3 to 44 months after achievement of complete remission. The duration of complete remission was inversely related to the bulk of metastatic tumor. Twenty-three patients treated with combined oophorectomy and chemotherapy experienced the longest remissions (median duration of 33 months); only eight (35%) of them have relapsed. Seventy-six percent of the relapses occurred in previously known sites of tumor involvement; most of the remainder involved the brain. The short duration of complete remissions and tendency to relapse in sites of initial involvement suggest that patients with metastatic breast cancer who achieved complete remission with combination chemotherapy still had substantial residual tumor. Consolidation treatments, using hormonal therapy and non-cross-resistant chemotherapy along with irradiation to initial sites of metastases, whould be investigated to ascertain their usefulness in prolonging the remissions.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-91-6-847DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

complete remission
24
duration complete
16
metastatic breast
12
breast cancer
12
complete
8
complete remissions
8
patients metastatic
8
cancer achieved
8
achieved complete
8
remission combination
8

Similar Publications

Longitudinal circulating tumor DNA monitoring in predicting response to short-course radiotherapy followed by neoadjuvant chemotherapy and camrelizumab in locally advanced rectal cancer: data from a Phase Ⅲ clinical trial (UNION).

Cancer Lett

January 2025

Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China; Institute of Radiation Oncology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Precision Radiation Oncology, Wuhan 430022, China. Electronic address:

This study, conducted as part of a multicenter phase III clinical trial, aimed to assess the utility of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-based minimal residual disease (MRD) in comparing the efficacy of short-course and long-course chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). A total of 244 plasma samples from 79 LARC patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) before surgery were collected at various time points. Targeted deep sequencing using a novel MRD panel was performed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hierarchically Engineered Self-Adaptive Nanoplatform Guided Intuitive and Precision Interventions for Deep-Seated Glioblastoma.

ACS Nano

January 2025

Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Drug Target Identification and Delivery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), particularly the deep-seated tumor where surgical removal is not feasible, poses great challenges for clinical treatments due to complicated biological barriers and the risk of damaging healthy brain tissue. Here, we hierarchically engineer a self-adaptive nanoplatform (SAN) that overcomes delivery barriers by dynamically adjusting its structure, surface charge, particle size, and targeting moieties to precisely distinguish between tumor and parenchyma cells. We further devise a AN-uided ntuitive and recision ntervention (SGIPi) strategy which obviates the need for sophisticated facilities, skilled operations, and real-time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance required by current MRI-guided laser or ultrasound interventions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: To date, there remains a paucity of comparative investigations pertaining to preoperative immunochemotherapy and conventional chemotherapy in the context of limited-stage small-cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) patients. This study conducted a comprehensive comparative assessment concerning the safety and efficacy profiles of preoperative immunochemotherapy and chemotherapy in individuals diagnosed with stage I-IIIB SCLC.

Methods: This investigation collected 53 consecutive patients diagnosed with LS-SCLC spanning stage I to IIIB who underwent preoperative immunochemotherapy or conventional chemotherapy at our hospital from January 2019 to July 2021.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Anti-Estrogen Therapy Achieves Complete Remission and Stability in Recurrent Cervical Cancer: A Case Study.

Am J Case Rep

January 2025

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien, Taiwan.

BACKGROUND Studies using transgenic mouse models have demonstrated that estrogen is necessary for the development of cervical cancer, particularly in tissues responsive to estrogen. Estrogen also protects cervical cancer cells from apoptosis, suggesting its role in the survival and persistence of cancer cells. CASE REPORT An 84-year-old woman with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and stage III chronic renal failure was diagnosed with cervical squamous cell carcinoma, FIGO stage IB2.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Propose: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant treatment of darolutamide, a next-generation androgen receptor inhibitor, plus androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for patients with locally advanced prostate cancer (LAPC).

Methods: This single-arm, multicenter, open-label phase II trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05249712, 2022-01-01), recruited 30 localized high-risk/very high-risk prostate cancer (HRPCa/VHRPCa) patients from three centers in China between 2021 and 2023.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!