Effect of neutropenia with adjuvant epirubicin-CMF on survival in patients with node-negative or 1 to 3 node-positive rapidly proliferating breast cancer.

e11566 Background: Patients who experience at least some degree of neutropenia whilst receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer show improved survival. Tumor proliferation is a prognostic marker in breast cancer. We therefore hypothesized that patients with rapidly proliferating breast cancer and evidence of neutropenia whilst on adjuvant chemotherapy would have a better survival than that of similar patients in whom there was no evidence of myelotoxicity. Methods: We reviewed the case notes of 173 women treated in Wide Area of Romagna cancer centers with epirubicin followed by the intravenous CMF (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil) regimen or the inverse sequence for rapidly proliferating breast cancer, defined by thymidine labeling index (TLI) >3%, to identify patient- and treatment-related factors influencing outcome. Results: The actuarial 5-year overall survival for these women was 94%, with the anticipated poorer outcome for those with higher TLI (≥10% vs <10%, P=0.032). Ther...