Comparative trial of endocrine versus cytotoxic treatment in advanced breast cancer.
Ninety-two women with advanced breast cancer were allocated at random to receive either cytotoxic or endocrine treatment. Out of 45 women included in the cytotoxic treatment group, 22 (49%) achieved complete or partial remission of their disease, whereas of the 47 included in the endocrine treatment group, only 10 (21%) achieved such remission. Significantly longer survival times in the cytotoxic treatment group were most apparent among premenopausal women, 75% of such patients responding to cytotoxic drugs (median survival 46 weeks) compared with only 11% benefiting from ovarian ablation (median survival 12 weeks). In postmenopausal women with predominantly soft-tissue disease, however, additive hormonal treatment with tamoxifen produced remission rates and survival times equivalent to those produced by cytotoxic drugs.
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D002369:Castration; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004054:Diethylstilbestrol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006728:Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008777:Methyltestosterone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014750:Vincristine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014852:Wales
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D006728:Hormones; D013629:Tamoxifen; D014750:Vincristine; D004054:Diethylstilbestrol; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D005472:Fluorouracil; D008777:Methyltestosterone