Platinum‑based chemotherapy in neoadjuvant treatment of breast cancer

04/2019

MUDr. Marta Krásenská

Klinika komplexní onkologické péče, Masarykův onkologický ústav, Brno

SUMMARY

Triple-negative breast cancer is associated with poor outcomes compared to other breast cancer subtypes. It is known to have an aggressive behaviour but on the other hand it is exceptionally chemosensitive. Currently, the only standard treatment modality that is used in both early and advanced triple-negative breast cancer is conventional chemotherapy. When anthracyclines, alkylating agents, and taxanes are administered, 30-40 % of patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy achieve pathological complete remission associated with excellent prognosis. The prognosis of patients with a residual disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is poor. In clinical trials, the addition of platinum to standard chemotherapy was attempted to achieve more complete pathological responses. Importance of platinum remains unclear, controversial are the data on their effectiveness especially in patients with germline mutation in the BRCA (breast cancer) genes.

Key words

triple-negative breast cancer, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, platinum, pathologic complete response, BRCA