Mitoxantrone as first-line chemotherapy in advanced breast cancer: results of a collaborative European study

✍ Scribed by H. T. Mouridsen; Michael Cornbleet; Robin Stuart-Harris; Ian Smith; Robert Coleman; Robert Rubens; Michael McDonald; Hugo Rainer; Allan Oosterom; John Smyth

• Publisher: Springer US
• Year: 1985
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 565 KB
• Volume: 3
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0167-6997
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00174161

✦ Synopsis

Mitoxantrone (Novantrone| dihydroxyanthracenedione) is a substituted anthraquinone with a spectrum of activity similar to doxorubicin in experimental tumors.

One hundred and seventy three patients with advanced breast cancer and no prior cytotoxic therapy for advanced disease entered a phase II study of mitoxantronc, 14 mg/m 2 i.v..repeated every 3 weeks. At the time of this analysis 116 patients were evaluable. Eight patients achieved a complete response and 27 a partial response, the overall response rate being 30% (95% confidence limits: 22-39%). The median time until response was recorded was 15 weeks. The median duration of response was 74+ weeks and the median time to progression or death for all 116 patients was 22+ weeks.

Mitoxantrone was well tolerated with myelosuppression as the dose-limiting toxicity. The most frequent non-haematological toxicities were nausea and vomiting (65%) but they were rarely severe. Total alopecia occurred in only 6% of the patients. Four patients developed clinically significant evidence of cardiotoxicity after cumulative mitoxantronc doses of 174-256 mg/m 2.

Thus, mitoxantrone offers comparable efficacy and less acute toxicity than the most active single agents currently available in the treatment of advanced breast cancer.