Docetaxel delivers over doxorubicin for early breast cancer

In 2005, the 5-year results from the US Oncology Adjuvant trial 9735 demonstrated a benefit in disease-free survival (DFS) for patients with early breast cancer receiving adjuvant chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide plus docetaxel [Taxotere] rather than cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin; however, there was only a trend favouring the docetaxel-based therapy for overall survival. But in analyses of the trial's 7-year results, presented at the 30th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) [San Antonio, Texas, US, December, 2007], a statistically significant advantage for docetaxel over doxorubicin for overall survival was revealed, with the benefits of this regimen for DFS also being maintained. Moreover, these favourable outcomes appear to exist regardless of patient age or human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 status, and without the expense of greater toxicity.