Extending the duration of first-line chemotherapy in metastatic breast cancer: a perspective review

The treatment of metastatic breast cancer is mainly palliative, but optimal management might result in survival improvement as well. For this reason, many trials have attempted to optimize the therapeutic approach in this disease setting. Among the possible options, chemotherapy represents the backbone of the treatment and survival improvements that have been shown by the use of modern chemotherapeutic agents. Whereas the type of chemotherapy is generally dictated by patient characteristics and those of their disease, substantial controversy still remains on how long chemotherapy should be administered after disease control is achieved. In this review, we have analysed all available evidence on the duration of first-line chemotherapy in advanced breast cancer.