Evaluating the effectiveness and safety of taxanes combined with chemotherapy in patients with advanced triple negative breast cancer.

This study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of taxanes combined with chemotherapy in patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). This study concluded that the combination of taxanes and chemotherapy is effective with manageable side effects in these patients.

TNBC is a subtype of BC that tests negative for female hormone receptors (estrogen and/or progesterone) and the HER2 protein. TNBC accounts for 10-15% of all BCs. It is associated with a poorer disease outcome compared to other subtypes of BC. Treatments for TNBC usually involve a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.

Taxanes are a type of chemotherapy often used in the treatment of BC. Paclitaxel (Taxol) is a taxane which is usually used in patients with advanced BC to kill cancer cells. Taxanes combined with chemotherapy drugs, especially paclitaxel-based treatment, appeared to clinically benefit patients with advanced TNBC. However, these studies were limited due to their small sample size. It is important to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of taxanes combined with chemotherapy in patients with advanced TNBC.

This study analyzed 26 other studies and involved a total of 8236 women with advanced TNBC. Patients were treated with either taxanes combined with chemotherapy, taxanes alone, or other chemotherapy drugs.

Patients treated with taxanes combined with chemotherapy were 21% more likely to survive without cancer worsening than patients treated with taxanes alone. Patients treated with taxanes combined with chemotherapy were 12% more likely to have a better overall survival than patients treated with taxanes alone.

Taxanes combined with chemotherapy increased the risk of vomiting (by 26%) and diarrhea (by 82%) than taxanes alone.

Taxanes combined with chemotherapy significantly reduced the risk of vomiting (by 40%) and low white blood cell counts (by 42%) compared to chemotherapy alone.

This study concluded that the combination of taxanes and chemotherapy is effective with manageable side effects in patients with advanced TNBC.

This study looked back in time at medical records. In some of the studies analyzed, patients knew which treatment they were getting which might affect the conclusions.