Dose Modification: Breast Cancer
Neutropenia has many potential consequences, including affecting the optimal delivery of chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer. In the curative setting, patients with breast cancer may experience dose delays and dose reductions. A study of breast cancer patients being treated with chemotherapy showed that 25% experienced dose delays of ≥7 days. In the same study, 37% of patients experienced dose reductions of ≥15%.1
Neutropenia (both grade 3-4 and febrile) was the most frequent cause of chemotherapy dose delays and dose reductions.2
References
- Lyman GH, Dale DC, Crawford J. Incidence and predictors of low dose-intensity in adjuvant breast cancer chemotherapy: a nationwide study of community practices. J Clin Oncol. 2003;21:4524-4531.
- Link BK, Budd GT, Scott S, et al. Delivering adjuvant chemotherapy to women with early-stage breast carcinoma: current patterns of care. Cancer. 2001;92:1354-1367.
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