Febrile neutropenia rates during docetaxel and cyclophosphamide (TC) adjuvant therapy in early breast cancer (EBC).

1101 Background: Numerous options exist for adjuvant chemotherapy in EBC. Docetaxel cyclophosphamide (TC) is increasingly used because of its superiority over doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (AC) (Jones et al 2009), and the lack of anthracycline induced cardiac injury. Myelosuppression and febrile neutropenia are frequent adverse events (AE) of TC. Jones reported that in the phase III trial FN occurred in 5% of all patients and in 8% of those over 65. There was no requirement for use of prophylactic growth factors or antibiotics in the trial. Subsequent publications have reported rates of FN ranging from 25-50% (Chan 2010, Vandenberg 2010, Soong 2009). Methods: We investigated the frequency of FN in consecutive EBC patients treated with TC in a community practice setting of predominantly high socio-economic class, fit patients, and examined the effect of primary prophylaxis with pegfilgrastim. We anticipated low rates of FN. Results: 74 EBC patients (median age 58 yrs, range 35-84 yrs) were treated betwe...