CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF NEO-ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY WITH PACLITAXEL FOLLOWED BY FEC FOR LOCALLY ADVANCED BREAST CANCER

Abstract

Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy with paclitaxel followed by FEC was conducted on 36 cases of advanced breast cancer ranging from stage II A to III B with the tumor diameter exceeding 3cm. As a result, the clinical effect was rated as CR+PR=33/36 (91.7%) and the histological effect was rated as grade 3+grade 2=18/36 (50%). Breast-conserving surgery was accomplished in 86.1% (31/36) and the cancer positive rate of surgical margins was 5/31 (16.1%).
Histological metastasis could not be demonstrated in 8/8 (100%) of NO, 13/17 (76.5%) of N1 and 1/8 (12.5%) of N2 with chemotherapy.
Though the postoperative follow-up period is short, ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence and axillary lymph node recurrence have not been observed to date. The foregoing indicates the possibility that neoadjuvant chemotherapy can expand the indications of breast-conserving surgery and SNB. No consensus has been built for SNB at present, so that careful attitude is mandatory for performing SNB.