OBJECTIVES:
- Compare the disease-free survival of patients with node-positive or high-risk node-negative breast cancer treated with 2 different schedules of adjuvant doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and paclitaxel.
- Compare the overall survival of patients treated with these regimens.
- Compare the toxic effects of these regimens in these patients.
- Correlate outcome with putative prognostic markers in patients treated with these regimens.
OUTLINE: This is a randomized, multicenter study. Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms (arms V and VI) (arms I-IV closed 11/10/10).
- Arm I: (closed 11/10/10) Patients receive doxorubicin IV and cyclophosphamide IV on day 1 and pegfilgrastim subcutaneously (SC) on day 2 or filgrastim (G-CSF) SC on days 3-10. Treatment repeats every 14 days for 6 courses.
Beginning 2 weeks after completion of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, patients receive paclitaxel IV over 3 hours on day 1 and pegfilgrastim SC on day 2. Treatment repeats every 14 days for 6 courses.
- Arm II: (closed 11/10/10) Patients receive doxorubicin IV on day 1, oral cyclophosphamide on days 1-7, and G-CSF SC on days 2-7. Treatment repeats every 7 days for 15 courses.
Beginning 2 weeks after completion of cyclophosphamide, patients receive paclitaxel and pegfilgrastim as in arm I.
- Arm III: (closed 11/10/10) Patients receive doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and pegfilgrastim or G-CSF as in arm I.
Beginning 2 weeks after completion of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, patients receive paclitaxel IV over 1 hour on day 1. Treatment repeats every 7 days for 12 courses.
- Arm IV: (closed 11/10/10) Patients receive doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and G-CSF as in arm II.
Beginning 2 weeks after completion of cyclophosphamide, patients receive paclitaxel as in arm III.
- Arm V: Patients receive doxorubicin IV and cyclophosphamide IV on day 1 and pegfilgrastim SC on day 2. Treatment repeats every 14 days for 4 courses. Patients receive doxorubicin IV and cyclophosphamide IV on day 1 and pegfilgrastim SC on day 2. Treatment repeats every 14 days for 6 courses.
Beginning 2 weeks after completion of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, patients receive paclitaxel IV over 3 hours on day 1 and pegfilgrastim SC on day 2. Treatment repeats every 14 days for 6 courses.
- Arm VI: Patients receive doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and pegfilgrastim as in arm V.
Beginning 2 weeks after completion of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, patients receive paclitaxel IV over 1 hour on day 1. Treatment repeats every 7 days for 12 courses.
In all arms, treatment continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
In all arms patients with HER2/neu-positive tumors also receive trastuzumab (Herceptin®) weekly or every 3 weeks beginning concurrently with paclitaxel OR 3 months after the last dose of paclitaxel and continuing for up to 52 weeks.
In all arms, patients with estrogen-receptor or progesterone-receptor positive tumors receive hormonal therapy beginning within 28 days of the completion of adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy (if given).
After finishing study treatment patients are followed up every 6 months for 5 years and then once a year for up to 15 years.
PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 3,250 patients will be accrued for this study.
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
- Histologically confirmed stage I-III invasive breast cancer
- Operable disease
- Stage I, II, IIIA, and IIIC (T1-3, N3a only)
- No T4 tumors
- High-risk disease, defined by 1 of the following:
- Tumor ≥ 2 cm in greatest diameter (includes both invasive and intraductal component)
- Patients with nodal status of N0+ (i.e., no cluster of tumor cells in any node greater than 0.2 mm) are considered to be node negative and must have a primary tumor ≥ 2 cm in size or have a tumor ≥ 1 cm with high risk features
- Patients who are node negative on the basis of a sentinel node procedure and fewer than 6 axillary nodes are removed are eligible OR at least 6 axillary or intramammary nodes must be negative
- Tumor ≥ 1 cm in diameter and meeting 1 of the following criteria:
- ER-negative and PgR-negative
- ER-positive or PgR-positive with a Genomic Health Recurrence Score of ≥ 26
- One or more axillary or intramammary nodes are involved by metastatic breast cancer
- If one or more nodes is involved, a minimum of 6 axillary or intramammary nodes must have been examined histologically
- Patients with N0(I+) disease will be considered node negative
- HER2/neu-positive tumors (3+ by immunohistochemical staining or amplified by fluorescence in-situ hybridization) allowed
- Bilateral synchronous breast cancer diagnosed within 1 month of each other allowed provided the higher TNM stage primary tumor meets the eligibility criteria
- Prior modified radical mastectomy OR local excision of all tumors with axillary lymph node dissection or sentinel node resection required
- No more than 84 days since prior surgery for the primary tumor and/or axilla
- Final resection margins for the primary tumor must be histologically negative for invasive cancer and ductal carcinoma in situ
- Resection margins positive for lobular carcinoma in situ are allowed
- Hormone receptor status:
- Estrogen receptor status known
- Progesterone receptor status known
PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
Age
- 18 and over
Sex
- Male or female
Menopausal status
- Not specified
Performance status
- Zubrod 0-2
Life expectancy
- Not specified
Hematopoietic
- Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,200/mm^3
- Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3
Hepatic
- Bilirubin no greater than upper limit of normal (ULN)
- Alkaline phosphatase no greater than 2 times ULN
- SGOT or SGPT no greater than 2 times ULN
Renal
- Creatinine no greater than ULN
Cardiovascular
- No congestive heart failure
- No active angina pectoris
- LVEF greater than or equal to the lower limit of normal* by MUGA or echocardiogram NOTE: Patients age 60 and over OR with a history of hypertension
Other
- Not pregnant or nursing
- Negative pregnancy test
- Fertile patients must use effective contraception
- No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, in situ cervical carcinoma, or lobular carcinoma in situ of the breast
- Prior invasive breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ allowed if disease-free for 5 years
- HIV negative
PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
Biologic therapy
- Not specified
Chemotherapy
- No prior cytotoxic chemotherapy for this breast cancer
- No prior chemotherapy with an anthracycline, anthracenedione, or taxane
Endocrine therapy
- Not specified
Radiotherapy
- No prior radiotherapy for this malignancy
- At least 2 weeks since prior radiotherapy for ductal carcinoma in situ
Surgery
- See Disease Characteristics
Last updated: 05/22/2013