Despite the generalization of induction chemotherapy and a better outcome for chemosensitive diseases, the prognosis of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is still poor. In this work, we evaluate response and toxicity of high-dose sequential chemotherapy with repeated blood stem cell (BSC) transplantation administered as initial treatment in 100 women with non-metastatic IBC. Ninety-five patients (five patients were evaluated as non-eligible) of median age 46 years (range 26–56) received four cycles of chemotherapy associating: cyclophosphamide (C) 6 g m −2 – doxorubicin (D) 75 mg m −2 cycle 1, C: 3 g m −2 – D: 75 mg m −2 cycle 2, C: 3 g m −2 – D: 75 mg m −2 – 5 FU 2500 mg m −2 cycle 3 and 4. BSC were collected after cycle 1 or 2 and reinfused after cycle 3 and 4. rG-CSF was administered after the four cycles. Mastectomy and radiotherapy were planned after chemotherapy completion. Pathological response was considered as the first end point of this trial. A total of 366 cycles of chemotherapy were administered. Eighty-seven patients completed the four cycles and relative dose intensity was respectively 0.97 (range 0.4–1.04) and 0.96 (range 0.25–1.05) for C and D. Main toxicity was haematological with febrile neutropenia ranging from 26% to 51% of cycles; one death occurred during aplasia. Clinical response rate was 90% ± 6%. Eighty-six patients underwent mastectomy in a median of 3.5 months (range 3–9) after the first cycle of chemotherapy; pathological complete response rate in breast was 32% ± 10%. All patients were eligible to receive additional radiotherapy. High-dose chemotherapy with repeated BSC transplantation is feasible with acceptable toxicity in IBC. Pathological response rate is encouraging but has to be confirmed by final outcome. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaign

Background: Although the prevalence of esophageal cancer increases in elderly patients, its clinical history and outcome after treatment remain poorly described.Methods: Between January 2001 and December 2011, 58 patients (pts) older than 75 years received 3D-conformal radiotherapy (mean dose 51 Gy) in two French cancer centers. 47/58 (82%) patients received concomitant chemotherapy (with CDDP and/or FU regimens) and 8 patients underwent surgery after primary radiochemotherapy (RCT).Results: Median age was 77.9 years and the performance status (PS) was 0 or 1 in 89%. Tumors were mainly adenocarcinoma of lower esophagus or gastroesophageal junction (n = 51, 89%), T3T4 (n = 54, 95%), and N1 (n = 44, 77%). The mean follow-up was 21.9 months. In the overall population, the median progression-free survival was 9.6 months and median overall survival (OS) was 14.5 months. Using univariate analysis, OS was significantly associated with age (p = 0.048), PS (p < 0.001), and surgery (p = 0.035). 35 (60.3%) and 18 patients (31%) experienced grade 1–2 or 3–4 toxicity, respectively (CTCAE v4.0).Conclusion: Radiochemotherapy in elderly patients is a feasible treatment and its outcome is close to younger patient’s outcome published in the literature. Surgical resection, after comprehensive geriatric assessment, should be recommended as the standard treatment for adenocarcinoma of lower esophagus or gastroesophageal junction in elderly patients with good PS and low co-morbidity profile, as it is in younger patients.

six cycles. 39% (24/61) of patients inoperable after 3 cycles changed chemotherapy regimens; 42% (10/24) of the latter switched to weekly paclitaxel, 21% (5/24) to bevacizumabbased regimen, and 13% (3/24) to carboplatin + liposomal doxorubcin (Caelyx ® ). 25% (6/24) had palliative aromatase inhibitors or stopped chemo entirely. Of those who had their chemotherapy changed, only 1 patient in bevacizumab group (4%) achieved optimal debulking. Median overall suvival(OS) in those who switched regimen was 17.47 vs 37.40 months in those who did not, p=0.79. Conclusion* Switching chemotherapy regimen in previously inoperable patients did not lead to improved OS. This may reflect the poor prognosis conferred by inadequate response to platinum-based therapy, and needs further evaluation. Though the numbers in each group were small, a change to bevacizumab-based regimen did not appear to improve outcomes. The ICON 8b study will provide further information regarding bevacizumab's role in the neoadjuvant setting.

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