Combination chemotherapy in metastatic carcinoma of the breastResults with a three-drug combination

Abstract

Forty-two patients with Stage IV carcinoma of the breast were treated with an oral program of combination chemotherapy consisting of three drugs: methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil, and cyclophosphamide (substituting 1, 3-bis (2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea in cases with central nervous system involvement). Sixtyfour percent of the patients responded to the therapy, with a mean and a median duration of remission of 10.7 and 10.0 months, and a mean and median survival of 12.3 and 13 months. This therapeutic program is equally effective for pre- and postmenopausal patients and does not appear to be influenced by prior response to hormonal manipulation, single or combination drug therapy, or duration of disease. The results are comparable to those shown by previous authors. Toxicity in this group, however, was minimal, and patient acceptance excellent.