ABSTRACT
AIM: This multicenter, observational study aimed to investigate the survival benefit of eribulin as well as that of taxane-based regimens in Japanese patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in a real-world setting. METHODS: This study enrolled women with MBC who received eribulin or taxane-based regimens with or without bevacizumab in routine clinical practice from July 2011 to March 2014. Patients were followed until September 2015. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), post-progression survival (PPS) and adverse events. Efficacy findings were adjusted according to demographics. RESULTS: In total, 216 patients receiving eribulin monotherapy (n = 101), taxane monotherapy (n = 73) or taxane plus bevacizumab (n = 42) were followed for a median time of 15.4 months. Median OS, PFS and PPS were 22.3, 8.1 and 14 months in the eribulin monotherapy group; 13.2, 3.6 and 7.6 months in the taxane monotherapy group; and 12.9, 5.7 and 6.3 months, in the taxane plus bevacizumab group, respectively. The incidence of neutropenia was 67.3, 41.1 and 16.7%, and the incidence of grade 4 neutropenia was 1.0, 8.2 and 7.1% in the eribulin monotherapy, taxane monotherapy and taxane plus bevacizumab groups, respectively. One patient (1.0%) discontinued eribulin and 18 patients (15.7%) discontinued taxane-based regimens because of adverse events. CONCLUSION: In Japanese MBC patients in a real-world setting, eribulin showed a survival benefit and tolerability similar to that in previous reports.
