[Should neoadjuvant therapy be performed for nodular breast cancer stage II-III, and if so, by which modality?]

In order to choose optimal preoperative treatment for nodular breast cancer stage II-III (T1-4N0-2M0), potentials of neoadjuvant polychemotherapy and large-fraction radiotherapy were compared (464). Groups of patients were formed by random selection. Five-year relapse-free course rates after radiotherapy were 83.0+/-3.7%, polychemotherapy - 61.9+/-4.7% (p< or =0.001) while those of survival - 86.0+/-3.5% and 67.6+/-4.6% (p< or =0.01), respectively); eight-year rates after large-fraction radiotherapy doubled (p< or =0.05). Comparatively worse results of neoadjuvant polychemotherapy could have been due to delayed (3-4 months) surgery.