Finally!! stats for Stage IVs by subtypes showing how much better and how much longer

[Lani]

her2+ stage IVs respond to different treatments-- only represents a single institution, Dana Farber, but illuminating

Hope it is practice changing (vs old nihilists' view that all Stage IV bc pts die within two years no matter what treatments given)

J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2014 Jan 1;12(1):71-80.
Use and duration of chemotherapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer according to tumor subtype and line of therapy.
Seah DS, Luis IV, Macrae E, Sohl J, Litsas G, Winer EP, Lin NU, Burstein HJ.
Author information

Abstract
Benefits of chemotherapy vary in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). This article describes the impact of tumor subtype and the line of therapy on the duration of chemotherapy. Clinicopathologic characteristics were extracted from the medical records of 199 consecutive patients with MBC at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and analyzed according to subtype. Tumor subtypes were classified as hormone receptor (HR)-positive, triple-negative (TNBC), or HER2-amplified breast cancer. Duration of chemotherapy of each line was defined as the start of a chemotherapy regimen to the start of the next line of therapy as a result of progression or toxicity. There were 96, 44, and 59 patients with HR(+), TNBC, and HER2-amplified breast cancer, respectively. Median age at MBC diagnosis was 53 years. Median overall survivals were 32 and 54 months for HER2-amplified disease, 36 months for HR(+) breast cancer, and 17 months for TNBC (P<.0001). Patients with HER2-amplified disease received the most lines (median, 4; P=.032) and the longest duration of chemotherapy for every line. The median duration of chemotherapy in HER2-amplified patients remained at more than 4 months even out to sixth-line therapy. Patients with TNBC tended to receive the shortest duration of chemotherapy for every line of therapy. Tumor subtypes influence the number of lines, duration of chemotherapy, and survival. Among patients with HR(+) and HER2-amplified disease who undergo chemotherapy beyond the third line, substantial rates of prolonged therapies suggest clinical benefit. The role of advanced (greater than third) chemotherapy lines in improving survival of all patients with MBC warrants further study.
PMID: 24453294 [PubMed - in process]
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[SoCalGal]

Thanks, Lani.
Informative as always. I can't believe I am still around, nearly 7 years MBC, targeted-only tx-therapy. It's hard to live without waiting for the other shoe to drop, good to read supporting stats - helps to fight the insurance company for treatments!