[Effectiveness of ftorafur and hexamethylmelamine in advanced breast cancer]

In 7 oncological institutions of the Soviet Union a correlation was made between the efficacy of fluorofur, hexamethylmelanin and their combination for advanced cancer of the mammary gland in 136 patients. The therapeutic effect was estimated in 104 patients. Fluorofur yielded a considerable tumor regression (more than 50%) in 14 of 36 patients (40%), the duration of the remission in effectively treated patients was 2--5 months. Hexamethylmelanin induced a therapeutic effect in 18 of 37 patients (48%), the regression being complete in 6 patients (16%), its duration was 2--7 months. The combination of these drugs proved to be of an insignificant effect, the therapeutic effect was obtained in 5 of 31 patients (16%), the remission lasted for 1.5--5 months. The fluorofur therapy is rarely accompanied with adverse side effects (leucopenia--in 17%), while with hexamethylmelanin the incidence of leucopenia was 46%, a combination of the drugs reducing it up to 17%. Hexamethylmelanin combined with fluorofur was tolerated much more poorly (vomiting). Fluorofur and hexamethylmelanin are effective drugs for treatment of patients with advanced breast cancer.