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Chemotherapy versus combination of chemotherapy and endocrine therapy in advanced breast cancer: A prospective randomized study
Author(s) -
Cocconi G.,
de Lisi V.,
Boni C.,
Mori P.,
Malacarne P.,
Amadori D.,
Giovanelli E.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19830215)51:4<581::aid-cncr2820510404>3.0.co;2-g
Subject(s) - medicine , chemotherapy , cyclophosphamide , tamoxifen , breast cancer , randomized controlled trial , fluorouracil , prospective cohort study , metastatic breast cancer , surgery , gastroenterology , oncology , cancer
Abstract One hundred‐forty‐five postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancer entered a prospective randomized trial comparing treatment A (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5‐fluorouracil; CMF) with treatment B (the same chemotherapy plus tamoxifen; CMF plus T). Patients on treatment A had T added to CMF at the time of progression or relapse (second‐line CMF plus T). One hundred thirty‐three cases were evaluable. Considering response rate to first‐line treatment, CMF plus T appeared to be significantly superior to CMF alone (74 versus 51%, respectively; P<0.01). Median time to failure to first‐line treatments, considering all patients, was longer in CMF plus T than in CMF arm (48 and 24 weeks, respectively; P = 0.06). Considering patients showing objective remission, median duration of response to CMF was similar to that of CMF plus T (47 and 51 weeks, respectively). Twelve of 39 evaluable women treated with second‐line CMF plus T showed objective responses (31%). Median time to failure to treatment procedures scheduled in arm A (CMF → CMF + T) was longer than that to treatment in arm B (CMF plus T) (56 and 48 weeks, respectively; P = 0.08). Median survival was longer in patients randomized to treatment A (111 weeks) than in patients randomized to treatment B (78 weeks), but this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.25). It can be concluded from this study that a combination of endocrine therapy and chemotherapy is significantly more active than chemotherapy alone in inducing an objective remission. This strategy of treatment is advisable in situations urgently requiring a clinical response. However, as a sequence of chemical and endocrine therapy induced a longer time to development of progressive disease and a better survival, sequential therapy is advisable for common clinical use.