Table 1.

Randomized phase III trials comparing adjuvant and neoadjuvant treatment

Trial	Patients, n	Study population	Treatment	BCS rate		pCR rate, %	Node negative rate		Local relapse rate			DFS			OS
				%	P		%	P	%	P	HR	%	P	HR	%	P	HR
NSABP-18	1,523	cTl-3 cN0-1	4×AC→Surg	67	0.001	13a	58	0.001	13b	0.21		58/42d	ns	0.93	72/55d	ns	0.99
			Surg→4×AC	60			42		10			55/39d			72/55d
EORTC	689	cTlc-T4b cN0-1 M0	4×FEC→Surg	37		4a	38		10c	0.61	1.13	65c	0.27	1.15	82c	0.38	1.16
			Surg→4×FEC	22			35		9c			70c			84c
ECTO	1,355	cT2–3 cN0-1 M0	4×AT-4×CMF→Surg	63	0.001	23a	60	0.001	4.6	ns		72e	0.18	1.21	84e	0.60	1.10
			Surg→4×AT-4×CMF	34			38		4.1			76e			85e
			Surg→A×4–4×CMF	34			40					69e			82e

BCS = Breast conserving surgery; pCR = pathological complete response; DFS = disease-free survival; OS = overall survival; HR = hazard ratio; Surg = Surgery; AC = adriamycin, cyclophosphamide; A = adriamycin; T = paclitaxel; FEC = 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide; ns = not significant.

^aNo invasive residual cancer in the breast regardless of lymph nodes.

^bIpsilateral breast cancer recurrence.

^cAt 4 years.

^dAt 8/16 years.

^eAt 7 years.