Another Step Forward with Capecitabine in High-Risk Breast Cancer Treatment!

Protective capecitabine was observed to reduce breast cancer recurrence risk in high-risk patients with regionally advanced, her2 receptor-negative disease who underwent surgery after tumor-shrinking chemotherapy and still had residual tumor.

As is known, breast cancer is divided into two groups according to Her2 receptor status, a type of targeted drug test. For Her 2 receptor -positive patients we administer targeted drugs with chemotherapy, while we treat the Her2 receptor-negative group by dividing it into two subgroups. Her2-negative breast cancer is divided into hormone-sensitive and triple-negative groups. Although hormone-sensitive, Her2-negative breast cancer is easier to manage, we know tumors in the triple-negative patient group are more aggressive.

In this article, we share results of an important study in patients with Her2-negative, meaning hormone-sensitive and triple-negative, breast cancer.

When treating breast cancer, we oncologists consider two important pieces of tumor information: the characteristics described above, or tumor biology, and disease extent. We broadly divide extent into three subgroups: early-stage, regionally advanced and metastatic, or advanced, breast cancer. The patient group discussed here has Her2-negative, regionally advanced tumors unsuitable for immediate surgery, with surgery performed after tumor-shrinking chemotherapy.

Published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) issue dated June 1, 2017, the study included patients with regionally advanced, her2 receptor-negative breast cancer who underwent surgery after tumor-shrinking chemotherapy but still had residual tumor, placing them at higher recurrence risk; 910 patients were enrolled. They received protective oral capecitabine chemotherapy for 6 months.

Among breast cancer patients taking capecitabine, recurrence decreased from %32 to %26, and 5-year survival increased from %83 to %89.

Within these patient groups, triple-negative breast cancer patients were observed to benefit more. After capecitabine, their 5-year recurrence rate fell from %44 to %30. Their 5-year survival increased from %70 to %79. Particularly in triple-negative breast cancer patients, at 5 years, almost an additional 10 percent of patients’ lives being saved was considered extremely encouraging.

The data obtained at the end of the study are strong enough to change our everyday treatment strategy. As shown, adding a chemotherapy drug with highly manageable side effects using the right strategy can significantly change patients’ lives. Science offers our patients a new opportunity and new light every day on the path to treating cancer.