salvage chemo therapy with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (cap) in advanced breast cancer

twenty-one patients with advanced breast cancer (7 premenopausal and 14 postmenopausal women) were treated with a combination of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (cap). the median age of the patients was 43 years (range 36-61). this therapy was repeated every 3 weeks. nine patients (group 1) received cap as primary therapy for metastatic breast cancer, and twelve patients (group 2) received cap as a second-line therapeutic agent. of the 12 (57%) patients who responded, six (29%) had complete response (cr). the median disease-free survival (dfs) was 8 months. the response rate was highest for metastases in the pleura (83%) and lymph nodes (81 %), followed by skin (64%), liver and breast (55%). the overall response rate was higher in previously untreated patients than in those previously treated (89% versus 33%, p