Background: Docetaxel is a very active drug against breast cancer, but at the standard dose causes severe myelosuppression. In order to reduce the toxicity while maintaining the activity, weekly docetaxel administration was tested.
Patients and methods: We enrolled 30 patients with metastatic breast cancer, who had been treated with intravenous infusion of weekly docetaxel 35 mg/m2 in 100 ml of normal saline over 30 minutes for six weeks, followed by two weeks' rest from docetaxel therapy (one cycle).
Results: The overall response rate was 33% (95% CI +/- 16.8%) and the estimated time to progression was 8 months. Acute toxicity was mild. Nail loss, excessive tearing and dysgeusia worsened the quality of life of the patients.
Conclusion: Weekly docetaxel is an active schedule for treating metastatic breast cancer patients, particularly the elderly and those unsuited to anthracycline-based regimens.