Vol 13, No 4 (2017)
Review paper
Published online: 2017-09-13
Metronomic chemotherapy in breast cancer
DOI: 10.5603/OCP.2017.0018
Oncol Clin Pract 2017;13(4):161-168.
Abstract
New effective therapies are under development in breast cancer; at the same time attempts are being made to modify the dosage of already available drugs. The major challenge is to treat patients with multiple comorbidities who are not candidates for standard chemotherapy. An alternative for these patients may be a metronomic chemotherapy, which is based on continuous administration of drugs at very low doses every day or in short intervals. This also cause antiangiogenic and immune-modulating effects. The tolerance of the metronomic therapy is better, which improves the patients’ quality of life. More and more data indicate the use of multidrug metronomic regimens in a broader group of breast cancer patients.
This article discusses the use of metronomic chemotherapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer, highlighting the most well—established regimens, which should be considered first of all in elderly patients with comorbidities, who do not need a rapid response to therapy. Published data support also the consideration of the use of multi-drug metronomic chemotherapy in wider group of breast cancer patients. The course of research in this approach has been outlined in patients undergoing adjuvant therapy and receiving maintenance treatment in patients with triple negative breast cancer.
Keywords: metronomic chemotherapyadvanced breast cancermaintenance therapytoxicityquality of life
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