Five-year survival in breast cancer treated with adjuvant immunotherapy.
In this follow-up report of the treatment of primary breast cancer with adjuvant immunotherapy, a total of 95 patients were studied: 46 patients with stage I breast cancer and 49 patients with stage II breast cancer. All patients underwent standard surgical treatment and received immunotherapy as adjuvant treatment. Patients received a primary series of eight doses (1 mL of tumor-associated antigen preparation given as 0.2 mL intradermally and 0.8 mL subcutaneously) given over 8 weeks, and then booster injections every 3 months for at least 2 years. The 5-year survival with adjuvant immunotherapy was 83% for those with negative axillary nodes and 53% for those with positive nodes; this compares favorably with national 5-year survival statistics from two other studies (node-negative, 72% and 83%; node-positive, 51% and 59%). Based on these data, the addition of immunotherapy to other adjuvant therapies in randomized prospective trials seems both reasonable and justified.
University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Tulsa.
G H
GH
Lytle
J M
JM
McGee
W S
WS
Yamanashi
K
K
Malnar
C
C
Bellefeuille
L J
LJ
Humphrey
D000206:Actuarial Analysis; D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007117:Immunization, Secondary; D007271:Injections, Intradermal; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D015996:Survival Rate
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents