Docetaxel is a chemotherapeutic agent in the taxane group of drugs which is commonly used in the first line setting for metastatic hormone receptor negative breast cancer. We present a case of a 46 year old female who was diagnosed with de novo triple negative metastatic breast carcinoma, and has had an extended progression free survival (PFS) of almost 5 years on first line single agent treatment with Docetaxel.
46 year old female presented with a large left breast mass as well as axillary mass which revealed grade 3 invasive ductal carcinoma of breast on biopsy of both sites. Tumor was estrogen and progesterone receptor negative. Pathology showed discordance in HER2 testing between FISH and IHC, however on repeat testing, HER2 was confirmed to be negative. PET/CT scan for staging revealed large left sided pleural effusion and abnormal soft tissue in the lower anterior and posterior chest on the left concerning for pleural metastases. Patient underwent CT guided biopsy of left lower pleural space which was consistent with metastatic adenocarcinoma with breast primary.
She was started on first line single agent chemotherapy with Docetaxel 100mg/m2 every 3 weeks. Tumor markers were non-contributory to assess disease response. Repeat systemic imaging in 3 months showed excellent partial response with decrease in size of breast mass, conglomerate axillary lymph nodes as well as pleural based metastatic foci. Patient had grade 1 neuropathy secondary to Docetaxel which was tolerable. Patient also had significant fatigue with warranted dose reduction by 20% after 6 months. She also demonstrated other adverse effects of Docetaxel such as nail dystrophy and mild blepharitis which were also tolerable.
Patient showed good tolerance to chemotherapy, with intermittent treatment holidays. CT scans continued to demonstrate good response with stable size of breast and lung masses. After two years of stable disease and fair tolerance (after completing 34 cycles), chemo regimen was changed to every 4 weeks per patient’s wish. She was also started on Gabapentin for chemotherapy related neuropathy.
At the end of 4 years, patient had completed 55 cycles of agent Docetaxel, maintaining ECOG of 1, with grade 2 neuropathy controlled with gabapentin.
Patient is currently 56 months out from her initial diagnosis of metastatic triple negative breast cancer and follow-up scans continue to show stable disease. She has developed profound fatigue after several months of treatment. Patient has also faced challenges with fluid retention secondary to Docetaxel. Although her performance status remains fair, patient is contemplating changing frequency of chemotherapy to every 5 or every 6 weeks.
Triple negative breast cancer is an aggressive disease with limited options of treatment with chemotherapy agents and no role for endocrine therapy or HER2 targeted treatment options. Docetaxel has shown to have median survival ranging between 10.1 to 14.7 months depending on the dose. Our patient has so far shown extended PFS of 56 months, with single agent Docetaxel in first line setting which surpasses current national averages.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:asrf-1744 |
| Date | 18 March 2021 |
| Creators | Sharma, Purva, Kim, James, Jaishankar, Devapiran, Singal, Sakshi |
| Publisher | Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University |
| Source Sets | East Tennessee State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | Appalachian Student Research Forum |
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