title: Multimodal treatment of locoregionally advanced breast cancer.
abstract: Fifty-two patients with locally advanced primary breast cancer (T3, T4/N2, N3) without distant metastases were treated with three cycles of combination chemotherapy consisting of 5-FU, Adriamycin and cyclophosphamide (FAC) and immunotherapy with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) followed by local therapy (simple mastectomy and/or radiotherapy to breast/chest wall and regional lymphatics) and adjuvant chemotherapy to complete two years of treatment. Forty-nine of 52 (94%) patients were rendered free of clinically detectable disease. The median disease-free interval was 24 months. At a median follow-up time of 60 months, 40% of patients remained free of disease, off all therapy. Those patients who completed two years of therapy and started adjuvant chemotherapy promptly after local treatment had a 48% disease-free survival at five years. Local recurrences were observed in 21% of patients. Distant metastases developed in 40% of patients. Despite good tolerance, treatment compliance was poor. The complete remission rate with this multimodal approach is high and long-term disease-free survival is achieved in a considerable number of patients.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; D001500:BCG Vaccine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D001500:BCG Vaccine; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D005472:Fluorouracil; D008727:Methotrexate