Chemotherapy and Survival in Advanced Breast Cancer
Author Information
Author(s): R.P. A'Hern, I.E. Smith, S.R. Ebbs
Primary Institution: Royal Marsden Hospital
Hypothesis
Does the inclusion of doxorubicin in Cooper type regimens improve survival in advanced breast cancer?
Conclusion
The inclusion of doxorubicin in Cooper type regimens improves response rates, reduces the hazard of dying, and increases survival time.
Supporting Evidence
- Doxorubicin reduces the hazard of dying by 22%.
- Doxorubicin reduces the hazard of treatment failure by 31%.
- The odds of response with doxorubicin is 0.56.
- The overall hazard ratio for survival was 0.78.
- The study included data from more than 1,500 patients.
Takeaway
Adding doxorubicin to breast cancer treatment helps patients live longer and feel better, but it can also cause more side effects.
Methodology
The study performed an overview using summary statistics from published randomized clinical trials comparing doxorubicin-containing regimens with those without.
Potential Biases
The analysis may be biased as only selected published trials were included.
Limitations
The study did not use individual patient data and may be affected by publication bias.
Participant Demographics
Patients included in the trials were primarily women with advanced breast cancer.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Confidence Interval
95% CI: 0.59-0.81 for treatment failure, 95% CI: 0.67-0.90 for survival
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
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