Combined treatment by chemotherapy and intravenous hyperalimentation in Japanese patients with advanced breast cancer

Abstract
To treat advanced breast cancer that proved refractory to endocrine therapy or other forms of chemotherapy, adriamycin was administered i.v. every 3-4 weeks, in principle, at a dose of 100 mg per 50 kg body wt (total dose, 300-400 mg). At the same time, 50 mg of cyclophosphamide was administered orally every day. In all cases, concomitant hyperalimentation treatment, which is considered an effective method for ameliorating the toxicity of the chemotherapeutic treatment, became necessary. Of 13 cases so treated, 10 showed significant improvement. It was almost impossible in general to administer such a dosage of adriamycin with cyclophosphamide to Japanese patients with advanced breast cancer, since the treatment brought on severe side effects such as depletion of oral intake and suppression of bone marrow function.