Single-Agent vs Combination Therapy in Advanced Breast Cancer: Potential Roles of Capecitabine

ABSTRACT: Available data on the use of active chemotherapy agents inadvanced breast cancer suggest that sequential single-agent therapy isassociated with outcomes similar to those achieved with concurrent combinationtherapy. Since the use of single agents is likely to be associated with reducedtoxicity and may be associated with improved quality of life, this approachshould be strongly considered when assessing treatment options. Capecitabine (Xeloda)is an effective agent in advanced breast cancer, with a recent phase III trialdemonstrating significant advantages of capecitabine/docetaxel (Taxotere) oversingle-agent docetaxel in response rate, time to disease progression, andoverall survival in anthracycline-pretreated patients. Analysis of survivalbased on poststudy chemotherapy showed a significant survival benefit in arelatively small group of single-agent docetaxel patients who subsequentlyreceived capecitabine compared with all other poststudy chemotherapy, suggestingthe potential for marked benefits with sequential treatment. On the basis ofdata demonstrating the effectiveness of single-agent capecitabine, a trial hasbeen initiated to compare single-agent capecitabine with standard combinationadjuvant therapy in elderly high-risk patients. [ONCOLOGY 16(Suppl 12):13-16,2002]

Internal server error