epirubicin + cisplatin + fluorouracil

Epirubicin + cisplatin + fluorouracil (ECF) is a combination chemotherapy regimen being investigated by the Fundación Pública Andaluza para la gestión de la Investigación en Sevilla as a neoadjuvant treatment for HER2-negative primary breast cancer. This specific application is part of the BERNAQ Phase II clinical trial, which utilizes a biomarker-driven approach to customize chemotherapy based on BRCA1 mRNA expression levels. In this trial, the ECF regimen is administered to patients identified with low BRCA1 expression, a group hypothesized to be particularly sensitive to platinum-based DNA-damaging agents. The regimen's efficacy is derived from three distinct mechanisms: epirubicin is an anthracycline that intercalates DNA and inhibits topoisomerase II; cisplatin is a platinum-based agent that induces DNA crosslinking; and 5-fluorouracil is an antimetabolite that inhibits thymidylate synthase, collectively leading to the inhibition of DNA synthesis and repair in rapidly dividing malignant cells.

Brand names

ECF

Other names

epirubicin, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracilECF regimenepirubicin + cisplatin + 5-fluorouracil