Hepatic artery in combined treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer

Local therapy can complement traditional systemic drug therapy for metastatic breast cancer. The objective of the study was to assess toxicity, immediate results of the treatment and to determine the overall survival rate in patients with breast cancer with metastases to the liver, who underwent transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) of the hepatic artery in combination with traditional chemotherapy with taxanes. Sixty patients were divided into 2 groups: 34 patients received combined treatment (systemic chemotherapy with the following TACE (1–2 procedures) with HepaSphere microspheres, lipiodol, doxorubicin 30 mg/m² and 5‑fluorouracil 600 mg/m²), while 26 patients received chemotherapy only. The groups were comparable in terms of their main clinical parameters: age, initial stage, biological subtype, and previous treatment (p>0.05). Median follow‑up period was 17 months. The immediate response to the therapy according to the RECIST criteria in the chemotherapy+TACE group was the following: partial response — 7 (20.6 %), stabilization — 23 (67.6 %), disease progression — 4 (11.8 %). Adverse effects of TACE were manageable. Kaplan‑Meier 3‑year‑survival rate was 63.2 % in the chemotherapy+TACE group versus 43.8 % in the control group (p=0.039). Thus, TACE method can be included to the treatment protocol for the patients with metastatic breast cancer with partial response to chemotherapy or stabilization of the disease progression after chemotherapy for consolidation of the result.