Having chemotherapy every two weeks, rather than three, can improve survival chances for women under 50 with breast cancer, new research suggests.
The two-weekly therapy doesn’t seem to increase a woman’s risk of treatment-induced early menopause, the researchers said, meaning young women would suffer no greater cost to their fertility.
The study, to be presented to the European Breast Cancer Conference in Amsterdam, analysed data from two large clinical trials that compared adjuvant chemotherapy given every two weeks, known as a “dose dense” regimen, or every three weeks – the standard interval.
A total of 3,305 patients were included in both studies, of whom 1,549 were pre-menopausal with an average age of 44.
The researchers found that the two-weekly chemotherapy significantly improved overall survival after 10 years by nearly a third compared with chemotherapy given at the standard interval of three weeks.
Dr Matteo Lambertini, a medical oncologist at the National Institute for Cancer Research in Genoa, Italy, will tell delegates: “The take-home message of our study is that dose-dense adjuvant chemotherapy is associated with a significant improvement in overall survival as compared to standard-interval chemotherapy in high-risk, pre-menopausal breast cancer patients.
“This is very important information for counselling young patients regarding the choice among the available adjuvant chemotherapy regimens.
“Chemotherapy remains a mainstay adjuvant treatment for the majority of young breast cancer patients, but its psychosocial impact can be substantial.”
Katie Goates, senior research communications officer at Breast Cancer Now, said: “This promising study confirms that having chemotherapy every two weeks, rather than three, can improve the chance of survival for women with breast cancer under 50.
“Additionally, the findings reassuringly show that the increased survival seen with two-weekly chemotherapy doesn’t come at a greater cost to fertility, something that is incredibly important for young women considering their treatment options.
“However, the research also shows that two-weekly chemotherapy can increase the possibility of side-effects such as anaemia and muscle or bone pain.
“This serves as a critical reminder of the need to find treatments that improve both women’s chances of survival and their quality of life during treatment.”
