JCO Early Release, published online ahead of print Oct 2 2006
Journal of Clinical Oncology, 10.1200/JCO.2005.01.6089
Received February 18, 2005
Accepted August 16, 2006
Impact on Survival of Time From Definitive Surgery to Initiation of Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Early-Stage Breast Cancer
Caroline Lohrisch,* Charles Paltiel, Karen Gelmon, Caroline Speers, Suzanne Taylor, Jeff Barnett, and Ivo A. Olivotto
From the Breast Cancer Outcomes Unit; Systemic Therapy Radiation Therapy Program; Population and Preventive Oncology Program, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver and Victoria; and the Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: clohrisch{at}bccancer.bc.ca
Purpose: To determine if time to start of adjuvant chemotherapy after curative surgery influences survival in early-stage breast cancer.
Patients and Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of 2,594 patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for stage I and II breast cancer between 1989 and 1998 at the British Columbia Cancer Agency. Relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared among patients grouped by time from definitive curative surgery to start of adjuvant chemotherapy ( 4 weeks, > 4 to 8 weeks, > 8 to 12 weeks, and >12 to 24 weeks).
Results: RFS and OS were similar for women starting chemotherapy up to 12 weeks after surgery. OS hazard ratio (univariate) for initiation of chemotherapy more than 12 weeks compared with 12 weeks or less after surgery was 1.5 (95% CI, 1.07 to 2.10; P = .017). Five-year OS rates were 84%, 85%, 89%, and 78%, (log-rank P = .013); RFS rates were 74%, 79%, 82%, and 69% (log-rank P = .004) for patients starting chemotherapy 4 weeks or fewer, more than 4 to 8 weeks, more than 8 to 12 weeks, and more than 12 to 24 weeks after surgery, respectively. In multivariate analysis, independent prognostic factors were grade, size, nodal status, estrogen receptor, age, and lymphatic and/or vascular invasion. Initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy more than 12 weeks from surgery remained significantly associated with inferior survival, with a hazard ratio of 1.6 (95% CI, 1.2 to 2.3; P = .005).
Conclusion: This retrospective analysis suggests that adjuvant chemotherapy is equally effective up to 12 weeks after definitive surgery but that RFS and OS appear to be compromised by delays of more than 12 weeks after definitive surgery.

CiteULike Complore Connotea Del.icio.us Digg Facebook Reddit Technorati Twitter What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:

|
 |

|
 |
 
N. R. Villamizar, M. D. Darrabie, W. R. Burfeind, R. P. Petersen, M. W. Onaitis, E. Toloza, D. H. Harpole, and T. A. D'Amico
Thoracoscopic lobectomy is associated with lower morbidity compared with thoracotomy.
J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg.,
August 1, 2009;
138(2):
419 - 425.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
J. Lemieux, P. J. Goodwin, K. I. Pritchard, K. A. Gelmon, L. J. Bordeleau, T. Duchesne, S. Camden, and C. H. Speers
Identification of Cancer Care and Protocol Characteristics Associated With Recruitment in Breast Cancer Clinical Trials
J. Clin. Oncol.,
September 20, 2008;
26(27):
4458 - 4465.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
C. E. Desch, K. K. McNiff, E. C. Schneider, D. Schrag, J. McClure, E. Lepisto, M. S. Donaldson, K. L. Kahn, J. C. Weeks, C. Y. Ko, et al.
American Society of Clinical Oncology/National Comprehensive Cancer Network Quality Measures
J. Clin. Oncol.,
July 20, 2008;
26(21):
3631 - 3637.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
A. A. Azim, M. Costantini-Ferrando, and K. Oktay
Safety of Fertility Preservation by Ovarian Stimulation With Letrozole and Gonadotropins in Patients With Breast Cancer: A Prospective Controlled Study
J. Clin. Oncol.,
June 1, 2008;
26(16):
2630 - 2635.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
A. Berglund, B. Cedermark, and B. Glimelius
Is it deleterious to delay the start of adjuvant chemotherapy in colon cancer stage III?
Ann. Onc.,
February 1, 2008;
19(2):
400 - 402.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
R. P. Petersen, D. Pham, W. R. Burfeind, S. I. Hanish, E. M. Toloza, D. H. Harpole Jr, and T. A. D'Amico
Thoracoscopic Lobectomy Facilitates the Delivery of Chemotherapy after Resection for Lung Cancer
Ann. Thorac. Surg.,
April 1, 2007;
83(4):
1245 - 1250.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
D. Rayson, N. Saint-Jacques, T. Younis, J. Meadows, and R. Dewar
Comparison of elapsed times from breast cancer detection to first adjuvant therapy in Nova Scotia in 1999/2000 and 2003/04
Can. Med. Assoc. J.,
January 30, 2007;
176(3):
327 - 332.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
Optimal Timing of Adjuvant Chemotherapy Following Breast Cancer Surgery
Journal Watch Oncology and Hematology,
November 6, 2006;
2006(1106):
1 - 1.
[Full Text]
|
 |
|
|