@article{6458b3dbcb694912b73f2f3fee488470,
title = "Effect of glucocorticoid use on survival in patients with stage I–III breast cancer",
abstract = "Purpose: Glucocorticoids (GCs) are commonly used in breast cancer patients to ameliorate emesis induced by chemotherapy. Some preclinical studies have suggested that systemic GCs might promote survival of estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer cells. This study aims to clarify their clinical effect on patient survival. Methods: A total of 18,596 women with newly diagnosed stage I–III breast cancer in 2002–2006 were identified from the Taiwan Cancer Database and drug treatment was examined from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Claims Database. Of these, 3989 who did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy (non-chemotherapy cohort) and 3237 patients who received six cycles of adjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy (anthracycline cohort) were included. The impact of GC use on survival was analyzed separately in these two cohorts using Cox proportional hazards models. Results: In the non-chemotherapy cohort, GC use was associated with aggressive clinicopathological features of breast cancer. High-dose GC was associated with shorter overall survival in univariate analysis but not in multivariate analysis. In the anthracycline cohort, multivariate analysis showed that GC use at each dose level was significantly associated with longer breast cancer-specific survival (HR 0.65, 0.70, and 0.70 for low-dose, median-dose, and high-dose GC, respectively) and overall survival (HR 0.72, 0.76, and 0.73, respectively) when compared with those receiving no GC. The associations were significant in both ER-positive and ER-negative subgroups for breast cancer-specific survival, and in ER-negative subgroup for overall survival. Conclusion: Concomitant use of GC improved survival in patients receiving adjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy for stage I–III breast cancer.",
keywords = "Adjuvant chemotherapy, Breast cancer, Glucocorticoid, Survival",
author = "Lin, {Ching Hung} and Chuang, {Po Ya} and You, {San Lin} and Chiang, {Chun Ju} and Huang, {Chiun Sheng} and Wang, {Ming Yang} and Ming Chao and Lu, {Yen Shen} and Cheng, {Ann Lii} and Tang, {Chao Hsiun}",
note = "Funding Information: aDefinition of anthracycline dose levels: low, doxorubicin 260–471 mg or epirubicin 60–650 mg; intermediate, doxorubicin 474–480 mg or epirubicin 660–720 mg; high, doxorubicin ≥488 mg or epirubicin ≥726 mg bDefinition of anthracycline treatment duration: short, 95–105 days; intermediate, 106–118 days; long, ≥119 days cDefinition of anthracycline intensity: low, doxorubicin 2.16–3.74 mg/day or epirubicin 0.57–5.64 mg/day; intermediate, doxorubicin 3.75– 4.34 mg/day or epirubicin 5.65–6.72 mg/day; high, doxorubicin ≥4.35 mg/day or epirubicin ≥6.73 mg/day Acknowledgements This study was supported by grants from the National Science Council, Taiwan (Grant NSC 99-2410-H-038-004); the National Center of Excellence for Clinical Trial and Research, Taiwan (Grant Number MOHW105-TDU-B-211-134005); and the Ministry of Science and Technology, ROC. (MOST 105-2911-I-002-302). The funding source had no role in the design of this study and will not have any role during its execution, analyses, interpretation of the data, writing assistance, or decision to submit results. Funding Information: This study was supported by grants from the National Science Council, Taiwan (Grant NSC 99-2410-H-038-004); the National Center of Excellence for Clinical Trial and Research, Taiwan (Grant Number MOHW105-TDU-B-211-134005); and the Ministry of Science and Technology, ROC. (MOST 105-2911-I-002-302). The funding source had no role in the design of this study and will not have any role during its execution, analyses, interpretation of the data, writing assistance, or decision to submit results. Data availability : All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article (and its supplementary information files). No potential conflicts of interest exist. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.",
year = "2018",
month = aug,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1007/s10549-018-4787-x",
language = "English",
volume = "171",
pages = "225--234",
journal = "Breast Cancer Research and Treatment",
issn = "0167-6806",
publisher = "Springer New York",
number = "1",
}
