High dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell rescue as a part of combined modality therapy in stage IIIB inflammatory breast cancer

10694 Background: Despite the improvements related to introduction of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the prognosis of patients with inflammatory breast cancer remains poor. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy, feasibility and outcomes of high dose chemotherapy in this group of patients. Methods: Between June 1991 and January 1999, twenty eight patients with pathologically confirmed inflammatory breast cancer were consecutively enrolled in this study. All patients were rendered free of clinically evident disease by using chemotherapy (adjuvant, neoadjuvant or both) either alone or in combination with surgery. Following stem cell collection patients received HD-CT with thiotepa 250mg/m2 days 1, 2 & 3(total dose of 750mg/m2), mitoxantrone 40mg/m2 on day 1 and carboplatin 333mg/m2 on days 1, 2 & 3 ( total dose of 1gm/m2). Previously stored stem cells were infused on the seventh day of HD-CT chemotherapy. Eligible patients received radiation to the chest wall and tamoxifen for 5 years. Results: W...