Comparison Of Grade 3/4 Adverse Effects In Older Women With Breast Cancer Treated With CEF And CMF Adjuvant Chemotherapy

Objective: Retrospective analysis of the grade 3/4 adverse effects of CEF,CMF adjuvant chemotherapy for older women with breast cancer.Patients and Methods: A total of 160 women diagnosed with breast cancer aged 65-75 during the period of January 1,2003 to September 31,2007 in our hospital were studied, ninety of them finished 6 cycles of CEF regimen as adjuvant chemotherapy, while the rest CMF. Adverse effects of chemotherapy were compared between two groups if there was a inpatient claim for grade 3/4 leukopenia, neutropenia, febrile nertropenia , nausea/vomiting, mucositis, alopecia and cardiac toxicity.Results: The grade 3/4 leukopenia and neutropenia happened more frequently in patients treated with CEF regimen than those with CMF (63vs38, 70.0%vs63.0%, p <0.05; 75vs45, 83.3%vs75.0%, p <0.05 respectively) ; Only one case in the CEF regimen experienced febrile nertropenia. Grade 3/4 nausea/vomiting and alopecia also presented a higher rate in CEF group than those in CMF (28.7%vs15.7%, p <0.05; 67.8%vs17.1%, p <0.05 respectively); Grade 3/4 oral mucositis appeared a bit higher in patients treated with CMF regimen than those receiving CEF(17.1%vs14.4%, p>0.05) ; As to the cardiac toxicity , 26 patients in CEF regimen had ECG abnormalities while 13 in CMF (33. 3%vsl8. 6%, p <0.05), but none of them was as serious as grade3; Only one patient in CEF group presented symptomic decrease in LVEF.Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the adverse effects in CEF and CMF regimen were both well tolerated . CMF had a relatively lower rate of adverse effects .Choice of the suitable chemotherapy regimens could base on conditional status and concomintant diseases in older patients with breast cancer.