Chemotherapy Drugs and Regimens for Breast Cancer
There are several classes of chemotherapy drugs that work in different ways. Anthracyclines and taxanes are two classes commonly used for breast cancer. All chemotherapy medicines destroy fast-growing cells, like cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs are classified by what they’re made of and how they work. Classes of drugs used to treat breast cancer are:
Alkylating agents
Alkylating agents work by weakening or destroying cancer cells’ genetic material so the cells can’t reproduce. Alkylating agents used for breast cancer are:
Anthracyclines
Anthracycline chemotherapy medicines are made from the Streptomyces peucetius bacterium. These medicines stop cancer cells from reproducing. Anthracyclines used to treat breast cancer are:
Adriamycin (chemical name: doxorubicin)
daunorubicin (brand names: Cerubidine, DaunoXome)
Doxil (chemical name: doxorubicin)
Ellence (chemical name: epirubicin)
mitoxantrone (brand name: Novantrone)
Antimetabolites
Antimetabolites work by stopping cancer cells from dividing and growing. Antimetabolites for breast cancer are:
fluorouracil (also called 5-fluorouracil or 5-FU; brand name: Adrucil)
Gemzar (chemical name: gemcitabine)
methotrexate (brand names: Amethopterin, Mexate, Folex)
Xeloda (chemical name: capecitabine)
Antitumor antibiotics
Antitumor antibiotics damage DNA in cancer cells and other rapidly dividing cells. This slows or stops cancer from growing. Antitumor antibiotics used for breast cancer are:
Mitomycin (chemical name: mutamycin)
Epothilones
Epothilone chemotherapy medicines interfere with the ability of cancer cells to divide. One epothilone used to treat breast cancer is:
Ixempra (chemical name: ixabepilone)
Microtubule inhibitors
Microtubule inhibitors interfere with microtubules — tube-like structures within cells that help cells divide. Without working microtubules, cancer cells can’t divide and die. One microtubule inhibitor used to treat breast cancer is:
Halaven (chemical name: eribulin)
Platinum-based chemotherapy
Platinum-based chemotherapy medicines weaken or destroy breast cancer cells by damaging the genetic material in the cells, making it hard for the cells to repair themselves. One platinum-based medicine used to treat breast cancer is:
carboplatin (brand name: Paraplatin)
Taxanes
Taxanes work by interfering with the ability of cancer cells to divide, stopping the cells from repairing themselves or making new cells. Taxanes used to treat breast cancer are:
Abraxane (chemical name: albumin-bound or nab-paclitaxel)
Taxol (chemical name: paclitaxel)
Taxotere (chemical name: docetaxel)
Vinca alkaloids
Vinca alkaloids stop cancer cells from dividing, which makes them die. Vinca alkaloids used for breast cancer are:
vinorelbine (brand name: Navelbine (chemical name: vinorelbine)
vincristine (brand names: Oncovin, Vincasar PES, Vincrex)
Chemotherapy regimens
In many cases, chemotherapy offers the most benefits against breast cancer when a combination of drugs are given. The combination may include a targeted therapy medicine or immunotherapy, depending on the characteristics of the cancer. These combinations are called chemotherapy regimens. There are several different classes of chemotherapy medicines.
Some common chemotherapy regimens for breast cancer include:
AC: Adriamycin and Cytoxan
AC-T: Adriamycin, Cytoxan, and Taxol
CMF: Cytoxan, methotrexate, and fluorouracil
TC: Taxotere and Cytoxan
TCHP: Taxotere, carboplatin, Herceptin, and Perjeta
THP: Taxol, Herceptin, and Perjeta
CAF: Cytoxan, Adriamycin, and fluorouracil
Herceptin and Perjeta are anti-HER2 medicines. These regimens are prescribed if the breast cancer is HER2-positive.
These regimens are most often used to treat early-stage breast cancer, but also may be used for advanced-stage breast cancer in some cases.
— Last updated on June 2, 2025 at 3:45 PM