Effect of timing of initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy on disease-free survival in breast cancer.

Four hundred and sixty patients with stage II or III breast cancer following regional therapy were treated with an adjuvant combination chemotherapy consisting of fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FAC). The relationship between the length of disease-free survival and length of delays in initiation of chemotherapy after surgery was evaluated. Patients were divided into four subgroups according to the length of delay in initiation of chemotherapy (less than 10 weeks, 10-13, 14-17, and greater than or equal to 18 weeks). Overall four year disease-free survival was 64%, 68%, 60%, and 63% for patient groups with delays of less than 10 weeks, 10-13, 14-17, or greater than or equal to 18 weeks respectively (p = 0.39). There was no trend for longer delay in treatment to be associated with shorter disease-free survival, except in poor prognosis patients.