High-dose chemotherapy for the treatment of breast and ovarian cancer

Breast cancer is currently the primary indication for high-dose chemotherapy with autologous hematopoietic progenitor cell support. Recent advances include the first randomized trial comparing high-dose chemotherapy with conventional-dose chemotherapy in patients with metastatic disease, new and improved methods for detection of tumor cells in the autologous graft, new high-dose chemotherapy regimens, new trials exploring multicycle high-dose chemotherapy, and the development of prognostic factors that may predict the outcome of patients who receive this treatment. In patients with ovarian cancer, a recently activated intergroup randomized study of high-dose chemotherapy compared with conventional dose chemotherapy should help clarify the role of high-dose chemotherapy for the treatment of this disease.