Treatment of breast cancer with oral four-drug chemotherapy

Seventy patients with advanced metastatic breast cancer were treated with an oral drug regime of prednisone, cytomel, cytoxan, and methotrexate. One half of the cases (50%) had a response. There were complete remissions in 7%, partial remissions in 27%, and arrests in 16%. The median duration of remissions was 8+ months. There was no significant difference in response between patients with predominant visceral or bone disease nor between pre- and post-menopausal women. One third of non-hormonally responsive patients responded to this treatment. Side effects consisted predominantly of glucocorticoid changes, including cushinoid facies and weight gain. The program was relatively bone marrow sparing. This drug regime is very convenient and safe to give on an outpatient basis.