Adjuvant Capecitabine in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: New Strategies for Tailoring Treatment Recommendations

Mené en Chine sur 443 patientes atteintes d'un cancer du sein triple négatif de stade précoce (âge moyen : 46 ans), cet essai randomisé évalue l'efficacité, du point de vue de la survie sans maladie à 5 ans, et la toxicité de faibles doses de capécitabine en traitement d'entretien après une chimiothérapie adjuvante standard

Résumé en anglais

Chemotherapy is an essential component of multidisciplinary treatment for estrogen receptor–, progesterone receptor–, and ERBB2-negative (ie, triple-negative) breast cancer and is critical for preventing tumor recurrence and improving long-term survival in this subset of tumors that accounts for 15% of breast cancers. Regimens that include 3 classes of chemotherapy drugs—anthracyclines, alkylators, and taxanes—represent the global standard of care for patients with triple-negative tumors, offering optimal cancer treatment. Traditionally, chemotherapy was given in the adjuvant setting after breast surgery. However, for women with stage II or III triple-negative breast cancer, preoperative or neoadjuvant chemotherapy is now preferred because it delivers systemic drug therapy and facilitates surgical downstaging, that is, reducing the tumor in the breast and axilla so that less extensive operations become options. Moreover, the extent of response to induction therapy can serve as an individualized, prognostic marker to guide subsequent treatme