Interest of Maintenance Chemotherapy After Induction Treatment for Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Inclusion criteria

• histologically proven breast cancer
• inflammatory breast cancer
• no metastatic site
• age > or = 18 and < or = 60
• OMS score: 0, 1, 2
• life expectancy > or = 3 months
• Normal (isotopic or ultrasonography) left ventricular ejection fraction
• Normal haematological, liver, and kidney functions
• patients who gave their written informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

• non inflammatory breast tumour with a cutaneous permeation nodule
• presence of a metastatic site
• medical history of a cancerous tumour except for carcinoma in situ of the uterine cervix, a basal cell skin cancer, or a breast carcinoma on the contralateral side
• patients having already had a chemotherapy, a radiotherapy, or an hormone therapy for this breast tumour
• medical history of congestive heart failure even medically controlled
• medical history of myocardial infarction during the 6 months before the inclusion in the study
• active infection or other severe underlying pathology which could possibly prevent the patient from receiving treatments
• administration of another chemotherapy during the study
• pregnant or breast feeding patients (the patients of childbearing age must be placed under efficient contraception)
• patients whose social or psychological state does not allow to consider a correct adherence to the treatment and to the required medical follow-up
• WHO score 3,4
• unbalanced diabetes
• polysorbate 80 allergy