TITLE:
Combination of Aromatase Inhibitors with Metronomic Capecitabine: A New Chemoendocrine Treatment for Advanced Breast Cancer
AUTHORS:
Wei Shi, Xinyue Wang, Xiwen Bi, Wen Xia, Jiajia Huang, Yanhong Su, Zhangzan Huang, Zhongyu Yuan
KEYWORDS:
Advanced Breast Cancer, HR, Edocrine Resistance, Chemoendocrine Therapy, Survival
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Cancer Therapy,
Vol.10 No.2,
February
15,
2019
ABSTRACT: Purpose: Endocrine therapy is one of the main treatment options for hormone receptor (HR)-positive advanced breast cancer
(ABC). However, whether the combination of endocrine therapy with
chemotherapy is practicable and more effective than endocrine therapy alone remains
unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy of the
aromatase inhibitors (AIs) combined with metronomic capecitabine to provide the clinical evidence for further research in patients with HR-positive ABC. Methods:
Data from 407 patients with HR-positive ABC were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 305 patients were given AIs alone, and 102 patients were given AIs plus
capecitabine as first-line treatment. Progression-free survival (PFS) was the
primary endpoint. Results: The median follow-up for all patients was
47.0 months (range, 3 - 119 months). The median overall survival (OS) and PFS
were 52.0 months and 24.2 months, respectively. The median PFS in the
combination group was significantly longer than that in the AIs group (22.0
months vs. 14.0 months, p = 0.002).
Additionally, patients in the combination group had significantly longer OS
than patients in the AI group (66.0 months vs. 49.0
months, p = 0.003). Multivariate
analysis showed that combination therapy was a
significant favorable predictor for PFS and OS. Furthermore,
young age (24 months) improved the benefit from
combination therapy. Conclusions: AIs plus metronomic capecitabine
significantly improves PFS and OS in patients with HR-positive ABC. Thus,
chemo-endocrine therapy should be further explored.