ABSTRACT
Objective
To assess the incidence of febrile neutropenia without primary granulocyte colony-stimulating factor prophylaxis in patients undergoing chemotherapy with adjuvant docetaxel and cyclophosphamide, and to evaluate the toxicity profile of brand-name docetaxel (Taxotere ® ) and the generic formulation.
Methods
This retrospective study was conducted using data obtained from electronic medical records of patients treated at a Brazilian cancer center. Patients with breast cancer who underwent adjuvant treatment between January 2016 and June 2019 were selected. Data were analyzed using chi-square and Fisher correlation of variables, and multivariate analyses were adjusted for propensity score.
Results
A total of 231 patients with a mean age of 55.9 years at the time of treatment were included in the study. The majority (93.9%) had luminal histology, 84.8% were at clinical stage I, and 98.2% had a good performance status. The overall incidence of febrile neutropenia in the study population was 13.4% (31 cases). The use of brand-name docetaxel (Taxotere ® ) was the only factor associated with febrile neutropenia occurrence (OR= 3.55, 95%CI= 1.58-7.94, p=0.002).
Conclusion
In patients with breast cancer who require treatment with adjuvant docetaxel and cyclophosphamide regimen, the toxicity profile differs between brand-name and generic docetaxel. Regardless of the formulation used, the incidence of febrile neutropenia was less than 20%, which may allow for the omission of primary prophylactic granulocyte colony-stimulating factor use in this setting.
Breast neoplasms; Febrile neutropenia; Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor; Drugs, generic; Docetaxel; Cyclophosphamide
In Brief
Tarcha et al. assessed febrile neutropenia in patients undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy with docetaxel and cyclophosphamide and compared the toxicity of brand-name Taxotere® and generic docetaxel. The incidence of febrile neutropenia was <20%,suggesting the potential omission of prophylactic granulocyte colony-stimulating factor use in this setting.
Highlights
The overall incidence of febrile neutropenia in the study population was 13.4% (31 cases).
Brand-name docetaxel (Taxotere®) use was the only factor associated with the occurrence of febrile neutropenia.
No statistically significant differences in progression-free survival rates between brand-name and generic docetaxel.