Chemotherapy before and after mastectomy in stage III breast cancer.
Seventeen patients with stage III breast cancer were treated by modified radical mastectomy preceded and followed by multiagent cytotoxic chemotherapy. The preoperative treatment resulted in a decrease in size of the primary tumor, facilitating the subsequent surgical procedure. There were no serious surgical complications. Wound healing was uneventful. Median disease-free survival time was 29 months and median survival time was 40+ months. Six of the 17 patients are living free of recurrence from more than 33 to more than 79 months after initial therapy.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001500:BCG Vaccine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008408:Mastectomy; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011300:Preoperative Care; D013997:Time Factors
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001500:BCG Vaccine