SEQUENTIAL USE OF ENDOCRINE THERAPY AND CHEMOTHERAPY FOR METASTATIC BREAST-CANCER - EFFECTS ON SURVIVAL

  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 64  (1) , 111-116
Abstract
Patients (110) with stage IV breast cancer were treated with 5-drug chemotherapy consisting of prednisone, cyclophosphamide, 5-fluorouracil, methotrexate and vincristine. of 97 evaluable patients, 64% achieved a remission, with a median duration of 9 mo. Age, disease-free interval and menopausal status did not affect response to chemotherapy. Patients with visceral dominant site of disease tended to have a lower response rate compared to those with bone or soft tissue dominant site of disease. Remission rate was similar in hormone-responsive and -resistant tumors, although median duration of remission was longer in the former group (11 vs. 9 mo.; P < 0.05). Median survival from onset of metastasis was much longer in patients who had responded to previous endocrine therapy than those who had failed (53 vs. 23 mo.; P < 0.0005). Thirty-four percent of the 59 patients who were subsequently treated with adriamycin after relapse or failure with combination chemotherapy obtained further palliation with a median duration of 4 1/2 mo. Cytotoxic chemotherapy apparently is effective in hormone-responsive and -resistant tumors. Sequential endocrine therapy and chemotherapy offer long-term survival to patients with hormone-responsive tumors.