Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Long-term outcomes for neoadjuvant versus adjuvant chemotherapy in early breast cancer : meta-analysis of individual patient data from ten randomised trials

(2018) In The Lancet. Oncology 19(1). p.27-39
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for early breast cancer can make breast-conserving surgery more feasible and might be more likely to eradicate micrometastatic disease than might the same chemotherapy given after surgery. We investigated the long-term benefits and risks of NACT and the influence of tumour characteristics on outcome with a collaborative meta-analysis of individual patient data from relevant randomised trials.

METHODS: We obtained information about prerandomisation tumour characteristics, clinical tumour response, surgery, recurrence, and mortality for 4756 women in ten randomised trials in early breast cancer that began before 2005 and compared NACT with the same chemotherapy given postoperatively.... (More)

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for early breast cancer can make breast-conserving surgery more feasible and might be more likely to eradicate micrometastatic disease than might the same chemotherapy given after surgery. We investigated the long-term benefits and risks of NACT and the influence of tumour characteristics on outcome with a collaborative meta-analysis of individual patient data from relevant randomised trials.

METHODS: We obtained information about prerandomisation tumour characteristics, clinical tumour response, surgery, recurrence, and mortality for 4756 women in ten randomised trials in early breast cancer that began before 2005 and compared NACT with the same chemotherapy given postoperatively. Primary outcomes were tumour response, extent of local therapy, local and distant recurrence, breast cancer death, and overall mortality. Analyses by intention-to-treat used standard regression (for response and frequency of breast-conserving therapy) and log-rank methods (for recurrence and mortality).

FINDINGS: Patients entered the trials from 1983 to 2002 and median follow-up was 9 years (IQR 5-14), with the last follow-up in 2013. Most chemotherapy was anthracycline based (3838 [81%] of 4756 women). More than two thirds (1349 [69%] of 1947) of women allocated NACT had a complete or partial clinical response. Patients allocated NACT had an increased frequency of breast-conserving therapy (1504 [65%] of 2320 treated with NACT vs 1135 [49%] of 2318 treated with adjuvant chemotherapy). NACT was associated with more frequent local recurrence than was adjuvant chemotherapy: the 15 year local recurrence was 21·4% for NACT versus 15·9% for adjuvant chemotherapy (5·5% increase [95% CI 2·4-8·6]; rate ratio 1·37 [95% CI 1·17-1·61]; p=0·0001). No significant difference between NACT and adjuvant chemotherapy was noted for distant recurrence (15 year risk 38·2% for NACT vs 38·0% for adjuvant chemotherapy; rate ratio 1·02 [95% CI 0·92-1·14]; p=0·66), breast cancer mortality (34·4% vs 33·7%; 1·06 [0·95-1·18]; p=0·31), or death from any cause (40·9% vs 41·2%; 1·04 [0·94-1·15]; p=0·45).

INTERPRETATION: Tumours downsized by NACT might have higher local recurrence after breast-conserving therapy than might tumours of the same dimensions in women who have not received NACT. Strategies to mitigate the increased local recurrence after breast-conserving therapy in tumours downsized by NACT should be considered-eg, careful tumour localisation, detailed pathological assessment, and appropriate radiotherapy.

FUNDING: Cancer Research UK, British Heart Foundation, UK Medical Research Council, and UK Department of Health.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
contributor
LU
author collaboration
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Adult, Antineoplastic Agents/administration & dosage, Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy, Chemotherapy, Adjuvant, Disease Progression, Female, Humans, Mastectomy, Segmental, Middle Aged, Neoadjuvant Therapy/adverse effects, Neoplasm Metastasis, Neoplasm Recurrence, Local, Neoplasm Staging, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Risk Factors, Time Factors, Treatment Outcome
in
The Lancet. Oncology
volume
19
issue
1
pages
27 - 39
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85037727699
  • pmid:29242041
ISSN
1474-5488
DOI
10.1016/S1470-2045(17)30777-5
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
id
8d6d9f26-1fbc-465d-8e40-3dcacf698fa8
date added to LUP
2024-02-05 13:49:01
date last changed
2024-04-22 12:01:18
@article{8d6d9f26-1fbc-465d-8e40-3dcacf698fa8,
  abstract     = {{<p>BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for early breast cancer can make breast-conserving surgery more feasible and might be more likely to eradicate micrometastatic disease than might the same chemotherapy given after surgery. We investigated the long-term benefits and risks of NACT and the influence of tumour characteristics on outcome with a collaborative meta-analysis of individual patient data from relevant randomised trials.</p><p>METHODS: We obtained information about prerandomisation tumour characteristics, clinical tumour response, surgery, recurrence, and mortality for 4756 women in ten randomised trials in early breast cancer that began before 2005 and compared NACT with the same chemotherapy given postoperatively. Primary outcomes were tumour response, extent of local therapy, local and distant recurrence, breast cancer death, and overall mortality. Analyses by intention-to-treat used standard regression (for response and frequency of breast-conserving therapy) and log-rank methods (for recurrence and mortality).</p><p>FINDINGS: Patients entered the trials from 1983 to 2002 and median follow-up was 9 years (IQR 5-14), with the last follow-up in 2013. Most chemotherapy was anthracycline based (3838 [81%] of 4756 women). More than two thirds (1349 [69%] of 1947) of women allocated NACT had a complete or partial clinical response. Patients allocated NACT had an increased frequency of breast-conserving therapy (1504 [65%] of 2320 treated with NACT vs 1135 [49%] of 2318 treated with adjuvant chemotherapy). NACT was associated with more frequent local recurrence than was adjuvant chemotherapy: the 15 year local recurrence was 21·4% for NACT versus 15·9% for adjuvant chemotherapy (5·5% increase [95% CI 2·4-8·6]; rate ratio 1·37 [95% CI 1·17-1·61]; p=0·0001). No significant difference between NACT and adjuvant chemotherapy was noted for distant recurrence (15 year risk 38·2% for NACT vs 38·0% for adjuvant chemotherapy; rate ratio 1·02 [95% CI 0·92-1·14]; p=0·66), breast cancer mortality (34·4% vs 33·7%; 1·06 [0·95-1·18]; p=0·31), or death from any cause (40·9% vs 41·2%; 1·04 [0·94-1·15]; p=0·45).</p><p>INTERPRETATION: Tumours downsized by NACT might have higher local recurrence after breast-conserving therapy than might tumours of the same dimensions in women who have not received NACT. Strategies to mitigate the increased local recurrence after breast-conserving therapy in tumours downsized by NACT should be considered-eg, careful tumour localisation, detailed pathological assessment, and appropriate radiotherapy.</p><p>FUNDING: Cancer Research UK, British Heart Foundation, UK Medical Research Council, and UK Department of Health.</p>}},
  issn         = {{1474-5488}},
  keywords     = {{Adult; Antineoplastic Agents/administration & dosage; Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; Disease Progression; Female; Humans; Mastectomy, Segmental; Middle Aged; Neoadjuvant Therapy/adverse effects; Neoplasm Metastasis; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Neoplasm Staging; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Risk Factors; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{27--39}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{The Lancet. Oncology}},
  title        = {{Long-term outcomes for neoadjuvant versus adjuvant chemotherapy in early breast cancer : meta-analysis of individual patient data from ten randomised trials}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(17)30777-5}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/S1470-2045(17)30777-5}},
  volume       = {{19}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}