Persistent pain, sensory disturbances and functional impairment after adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer: Cyclophosphamide, epirubicin and fluorouracil compared with docetaxel + epirubicin and cyclophosphamide

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Background. Taxanes used in adjuvant therapy for breast cancer are neurotoxic, and thereby being a potential risk factor for persistent pain after breast cancer treatment (PPBCT) and sensory disturbances. The purpose was to compare patients treated with cyclophosphamide, epirubicin and fluorouracil (CEF) and cyclophosphamide and epirubicin + docetaxel (CE + T) in relation to PPBCT, sensory disturbances, peripheral sensory disturbances and functional impairment. Material and methods. A comparative nationwide cross-sectional questionnaire study on two cohorts treated with CEF respectively CE + T, based on the Danish Breast Cancer Cooperative Groups database. Inclusion criteria: women treated with chemotherapy as adjuvant treatment for primary breast cancer, age 18-69 years, without recurrence. Results. One thousand two hundred and forty-one patients allocated to CEF in 2005-2006 and 1652 patients allocated to CE + T in 2007-2008 were included. Six hundred and sixty-four (53%) with CEF and 861 (53%) patients with CE + T reported pain. In the multivariate analysis including available risk factors, CE + T did not confer an increased risk of PPBCT, OR 0.95 (95% CI 0.81-1.11), p =¿0.52, compared to CEF. Patients treated with CE + T had a lower risk of sensory disturbances in the area of surgery compared with CEF, OR 0.75 (95% CI 0.62-0.90), p =¿0.002. More CE + T patients reported peripheral sensory disturbances in the hands, OR 1.56 (95%CI 1.27-1.92), p
Original languageEnglish
JournalActa Oncologica
Volume51
Issue number8
Pages (from-to)1036-1044
Number of pages9
ISSN0284-186X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2012

ID: 40168636