- Volume 7
- Issue 6 Publication Date: February 2007
Phase II Trial of Capecitabine and Weekly Paclitaxel in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer Previously Treated with Every-3-Week Taxane Therapy
Joanne L. Blum, E. Claire Dees, Svetislava J. Vukelja, Mammo Amare, David P. Gill, Richard T. McMahon, Des Ilegbodu, Lina Asmar, Joyce A. O’Shaughnessy
Purpose: We conducted a multicenter phase II trial to determine the efficacy/safety of capecitabine and weekly paclitaxel, a combination with preclinical evidence of synergy, in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) previously treated with a taxane. Patients and Methods: Eligibility criteria included measurable MBC, history of every-3-week taxane therapy (adjuvant or for MBC), and no previous taxane on a weekly basis, capecitabine, or infusional 5-fluorouracil. Patients received capecitabine 825 mg/m2 per dose orally twice daily (1650 mg/m2 per day) on days 1-14 and weekly paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 intravenously on days 1 and 8, followed by a 1-week rest period (every-3-week cycle) until progression or intolerable toxicity. Fifty-four women were treated, most with previous every-3-week taxane exposure as adjuvant therapy (n = 43) rather than for MBC (n = 11). The median number of delivered cycles was 7, with dose modifications in 30 patients. The intent-to-treat objective response rate (primary study endpoint) was 59% (95% confidence interval, 46%-72%), including 7 complete and 25 partial responses. Results: Three patients had stable disease for ≥ 6 months, for a clinical benefit rate of 65% (95% confidence interval, 51%-76%). Median objective response duration, time to progression, and overall survival were 8.1 months, 8.4 months, and 21.6 months, respectively. Grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse events consisted of neutropenia (13%), anemia (2%), hand-foot skin reaction (20%), fatigue (7%), diarrhea (4%), nausea/vomiting (4%), and pain (2%). No patients developed grade 3/4 neuropathy. Conclusion: Capecitabine and weekly paclitaxel were highly active with acceptable tolerability in patients with MBC previously treated with a taxane, consistent with our recently published experience in taxane-naive women with MBC.