Intensive postoperative chemoimmunotherapy for patients with stage II and stage III breast cancer.
For the past 34 months, a combination of 5-fluorouracil, adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, and BCG (FAC-BCG) was evaluated as adjuvant treatment in stage II and III breast cancer patients with positive axillary nodes. In the group of 131 patients receiving FAC-BCG, the estimated proportion remaining disease-free at 2 years from surgery was 91% compared to an estimated 69% in a group of 151 historical control patients (p less than .01). This advantage was statistically significant in all subgroups except for patients with primary tumor less than 3 cm and for patients with less than 4 positive nodes. Estimated 2-year survival rates were 9,6% for FAC-BCG patients and 86% for control (p = .02). Treatment was well tolerated. Adjuvant FAC-BCG seems effective in prolonging disease-free interval and early survival in patients with stage II and III breast cancer. Its long term efficacy will require longer follow-ups.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001500:BCG Vaccine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000009:adverse effects; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012008:Recurrence
D001500:BCG Vaccine; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D005472:Fluorouracil