Pilot study on adjuvant chemotherapy and hormonal therapy for irradiated inoperable breast cancer

A pilot study of adjuvant chemotherapy and hormonal therapy for inoperable breast cancer was performed. The patients were known to have a bad prognosis because of occult generalized disease. At the time of first treatment, the patients selected showed no signs of systemic disease. Local control of the breast and regional lymph nodes was achieved by radiotherapy. Adjuvant therapy consisted of alternating chemotherapy and tomoxifen. Adriamycin was dropped from the treatment schedule after 1 year because of enchanced radiation side-effects. Meanwhile the radiotherapy schedule was changed. A questionable control group was formed by patients radiated in the same period who failed to meet the entry criteria for various reasons. At presents, patients in the treated group show a better relapse-free survival than patients in the control group. The differences is statistically significant for premenopausal women. There is no significant difference in the overall survival between the treated group and the control group after an average follow-up of 2 years. After 2 years, the pilot study was closed. A randomized controlled clinical trial was started. In one group of this trial intensive chemotherapy is the first treatment employed.