Effect of current palliative treatment on the survival of patients with breast cancer

The length of survival of 302 patients with breast cancer first treated between 1946 and 1949, who had mostly only contemporary radiotherapy for metastases, has been reviewed and compared with that of 578 patients, first treated between 1966 and 1969, who had modern endocrine therapy, cancer chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Although patients in the latter group demonstrated a significantly increased length of survival after the first metastases appeared, these differences were not substantial. In spite of impressive regressions in some patients with metastatic breast cancer after modern palliative therapy, the median survival after the first appearance of metastases has been increased only by about 6 months.