Docetaxel and anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer

11590 Background: Reducing the primary tumor volume and increasing the breast conserving surgery (BCS) rate are the main roles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAT) in breast cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefit in adding docetaxel to anthracycline neoadjuvant therapy for breast cancer. Methods: Retrospective cohort study comparing the efficacy of NAT for breast cancer in patients subjected to docetaxel (75mg/m2) and epirubicin (60mg/m2) or 5-fluorouracil (600mg/m2), epirubicin (60mg/m2) and cyclophosphamide (600mg/m2) combinations (DE and FEC group, respectively). The mean number of chemotherapy delivered was three (2 to 6) in both groups (p= 0.8). Forty-six patients in the FEC group and 90 patients in the DE group were clinical stage II. Stage III was observed in 95 and in 68 patients in the FEC and the DE groups, respectively. The primary endpoint was the clinical and pathologic response to primary chemotherapy. The BCS rate was compared. Results: In stage II patients, the objective cl...