Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2008;3(4):251-255.
doi: 10.1159/000148914. Epub 2008 Aug 20.

Dose-Dense Chemotherapy: Principles, Clinical Results and Future Perspectives

Marc L Citron  1
Affiliations

Dose-Dense Chemotherapy: Principles, Clinical Results and Future Perspectives

Marc L Citron. Breast Care (Basel). 2008.

Abstract
in English, German

The dose intensity of adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer is an important predictor of clinical outcome. Dose-dense chemotherapy increases the dose intensity of the regimen by delivering standard-dose chemotherapy with shorter intervals between the treatment cycles. The rationale for dose-dense therapy stems from the Norton-Simon hypothesis: Sequential, consecutive dosing of chemotherapy using single or a combination of agents increases the dose density over alternating dosing, improving results. Supporting adjuvant studies, such as C9741, and the ensuing clinical experience indicate an improved disease-free and overall survival. Dosedense adjuvant chemotherapy improves clinical outcomes without increasing toxicity.

Die Dosisintensität einer adjuvanten Chemotherapie gegen Brustkrebs ist ein wichtiger Indikator des klinischen Effekts. Dosisdichte Chemotherapie erhöht die Dosisintensität des Behandlungsregimes, indem die Standarddosis-Chemotherapie in kürzeren Intervallen zwischen den Behandlungszyklen angewendet wird. Das Grundprinzip der dosisdichten Therapie basiert auf der Norton-Simon-Hypothese: Serielle, aufeinanderfolgende Dosierung der Chemotherapie mit einzelnen oder kombinierten Wirkstoffen erhöht die Dosisdichte gegenüber der alternierenden Dosierung und verbessert so das Ergebnis. Unterstützende adjuvante Studien, wie z.B. C9741, und die daraus folgenden klinischen Erfahrungen zeigen ein verbessertes krankheitsfreies und Gesamtüberleben. Dosisdichte adjuvante Therapie verbessert den klinischen Effekt, ohne die Toxizität zu erhöhen.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
C9741 treatment scheme.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hryniuk WM. The importance of dose intensity in the outcome of chemotherapy. Important Adv Oncol. 1988:121–141. - PubMed
    1. Hryniuk W, Frei E, 3rd, Wright FA. A single scale for comparing dose-intensity of all chemotherapy regimens in breast cancer: summation dose-intensity. J Clin Oncol. 1998;16:3137–3147. - PubMed
    1. Norton L. Evolving concepts in the systemic drug therapy of breast cancer. Semin Oncol. 1997;24(suppl 10):S10-3–S10-10. - PubMed
    1. Frei E, 3rd, Canellos GP. Dose: A critical factor in cancer chemotherapy. Am J Med. 1980;69:585–594. - PubMed
    1. Bonadonna G, Valagussa P, Moliterni A, Zambetti M, Brambilla C. Adjuvant cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil in node-positive breast cancer: the results of 20 years of follow-up. N Engl J Med. 1995;332:901–906. - PubMed