Breast cancer （BC） is diagnosed in 〉 65 year old women in about half of cases. Experts currently recommend that systemic therapy is offered to elderly patients with BC, if, based on their overall conditions and lif...Breast cancer （BC） is diagnosed in 〉 65 year old women in about half of cases. Experts currently recommend that systemic therapy is offered to elderly patients with BC, if, based on their overall conditions and life expectancy, it can be reasonably anticipated that the benefits will outweigh the risks of treatment. Like for young subjects, the monoclonal antibody against human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 （HER-2）, trastuzumab, represents a valid therapeutic option when BC over-expresses this receptor. Unforttmately, administration of trastu- zumab is associated with the occurrence of left ventricular dysfunction and chronic heart failure （CHF）, possibly because of interference with the homeostatic functions of HER-2 in the heart. Registry-based, retrospective analyses have reported an incidence of CHF around 25% in elderly women receiving trastuzumab compared with 10%-15% in those not given any therapy for BC, and the risk of CHF has been estimated to be two-fold higher in 〉 60455 year old trastuzumab users vs. non-users. Extremely advanced age and preexisting cardiac disease have been shown to predispose to trastuzumab cardiotoxicity. Therefore, selection of older patients for treatment with trastuzumab should be primarily based on their general status and the presence of comorbidities; previous chemotherapy, especially with anthracyclines, should be also taken into account. Once therapy has started, efforts should be made to ensure regular cardiac surveillance. The role of selected biomarkers, such as cardiac troponin, or new imaging techniques （three-dimension, tissue Doppler echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging） is promising, but must be further investigated especially in the elderly. Moreover, additional studies are needed in order to better understand the mechanisms by which trastuzumab affects the old heart.展开更多
Objective The aim of the study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of capecitabine mono-chemotherapy in elderly patients with advanced breast cancer. Methods The data from 36 cases of capecitabine monotherapy in e...Objective The aim of the study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of capecitabine mono-chemotherapy in elderly patients with advanced breast cancer. Methods The data from 36 cases of capecitabine monotherapy in elderly patients with advanced breast cancer were retrospectively analyzed. Oral administration of capecitabine 2000 mg/m^2 twice daily （D1-14） for 21 days constituted a cycle. The effect of the disease and main adverse reactions were evaluated every 2 cycles. Results The data from 36 elderly patients were studied. The median number of chemotherapy cycles was 4. The total effective rate was 30.6% （11/36） and the disease control rate was 72.2% （26/36）. The number of patients with clinical comptete remission was 2, clinical partial response was 9, stable disease was 15, and progressive disease was 10. Where treatment was effective, the median time to progression was 6 months and the median overall survival was 9.5 months. The main adverse events were gastrointestinal reactions, bone marrow suppression, and oral mucositis; most of the reactions were grade 1 to 2. Grade 3 to 4 adverse reactions included granulocytopenia in 2 patients （12.5%） and hand-foot syndrome in 1 patient （6.7%）. Conclusion Capecitabine monotherapy was effective in controlling disease progression, and adverse reactions were tolerated by elderly patients with advanced breast cancer.展开更多
文摘Breast cancer （BC） is diagnosed in 〉 65 year old women in about half of cases. Experts currently recommend that systemic therapy is offered to elderly patients with BC, if, based on their overall conditions and life expectancy, it can be reasonably anticipated that the benefits will outweigh the risks of treatment. Like for young subjects, the monoclonal antibody against human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 （HER-2）, trastuzumab, represents a valid therapeutic option when BC over-expresses this receptor. Unforttmately, administration of trastu- zumab is associated with the occurrence of left ventricular dysfunction and chronic heart failure （CHF）, possibly because of interference with the homeostatic functions of HER-2 in the heart. Registry-based, retrospective analyses have reported an incidence of CHF around 25% in elderly women receiving trastuzumab compared with 10%-15% in those not given any therapy for BC, and the risk of CHF has been estimated to be two-fold higher in 〉 60455 year old trastuzumab users vs. non-users. Extremely advanced age and preexisting cardiac disease have been shown to predispose to trastuzumab cardiotoxicity. Therefore, selection of older patients for treatment with trastuzumab should be primarily based on their general status and the presence of comorbidities; previous chemotherapy, especially with anthracyclines, should be also taken into account. Once therapy has started, efforts should be made to ensure regular cardiac surveillance. The role of selected biomarkers, such as cardiac troponin, or new imaging techniques （three-dimension, tissue Doppler echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging） is promising, but must be further investigated especially in the elderly. Moreover, additional studies are needed in order to better understand the mechanisms by which trastuzumab affects the old heart.
基金Supported by grants from Sub-topics of the Major Drug Discovery Platform in the Twelfth Five Year Research Program of China(No.2012ZX09303016-002)Liaoning Province Science&Technology Development Funds(No.2012225019)
文摘Objective The aim of the study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of capecitabine mono-chemotherapy in elderly patients with advanced breast cancer. Methods The data from 36 cases of capecitabine monotherapy in elderly patients with advanced breast cancer were retrospectively analyzed. Oral administration of capecitabine 2000 mg/m^2 twice daily （D1-14） for 21 days constituted a cycle. The effect of the disease and main adverse reactions were evaluated every 2 cycles. Results The data from 36 elderly patients were studied. The median number of chemotherapy cycles was 4. The total effective rate was 30.6% （11/36） and the disease control rate was 72.2% （26/36）. The number of patients with clinical comptete remission was 2, clinical partial response was 9, stable disease was 15, and progressive disease was 10. Where treatment was effective, the median time to progression was 6 months and the median overall survival was 9.5 months. The main adverse events were gastrointestinal reactions, bone marrow suppression, and oral mucositis; most of the reactions were grade 1 to 2. Grade 3 to 4 adverse reactions included granulocytopenia in 2 patients （12.5%） and hand-foot syndrome in 1 patient （6.7%）. Conclusion Capecitabine monotherapy was effective in controlling disease progression, and adverse reactions were tolerated by elderly patients with advanced breast cancer.
