High Dose Chemotherapy Plus Peripheral Stem Cell Transplantation Compared With Standard Therapy in Treating Women With Locally Recurrent or Metastatic Breast Cancer

Overview

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining chemotherapy with peripheral stem cell transplantation may allow the doctor to give higher doses of chemotherapy drugs to kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known if high dose chemotherapy plus peripheral stem cell transplantation is more effective than standard therapy for breast cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of high dose chemotherapy plus peripheral stem cell transplantation with that of standard therapy in treating women who have locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer.

OBJECTIVES: I. Evaluate the effect on 3-year survival of intensive chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide/thiotepa with peripheral blood stem cell rescue in women with locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer who respond to induction therapy with epirubicin/fluorouracil/cyclophosphamide. II. Evaluate the effects of this intensive treatment on patient quality of life. III. Evaluate tumor response and progression-free survival after intensification. OUTLINE: This is a randomized study. Patients are stratified by clinical/therapeutic hormone sensitivity and participating institution. All patients receive induction therapy with epirubicin, fluorouracil, and cyclophosphamide (FEC 100) every 3 weeks for up to 4 courses, with response evaluated after at least 2 courses. Patients with a complete response or at least a 50% partial response are randomized either to no further therapy or to receive intensification chemotherapy. Patients randomized to intensification undergo peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) harvest with G-CSF mobilization after the third or fourth induction course. Three to 6 weeks after induction, patients receive intensification chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide/thiotepa followed by PBSC. Post-transplant G-CSF is given for hematopoietic support. No concurrent hormonal therapy is permitted during induction; local irradiation of multifocal tumors is allowed provided response is still evaluable. Local therapy (excision of single metastasis, radiotherapy to metastatic site) is permitted after completion of protocol therapy. Treatment of relapsed disease is at the discretion of the investigator. Patients are followed every 3 months for 3 years or until relapse, then every 6 months. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 180 patients will be accrued over 3 years in this multicenter study.