Five-year follow-up in respectable breast cancer patients with “CMF” adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation.

ABSTRACT

From 1989 to 1991, there were 36 female breast cancer patients came to the Division of Radiation Oncology, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University. All36 patients had surgical treatment involving either MRM or conservatiove breast surgery. The combination CMF regimen were given as the adjuvant chemotherapy for six cycles. (Cyclophosphamide 100 mg./m2 p.o. day 1-14, Methotrexate 40 mg./m2 i.v. day 1 and 8, 5-Fluorouracil 600 mg./m2 i.v. day 1 and 8; repeated on a 28-day cycle). Conventional radiation treatment was given to the chest wall and regional lymph nodes at 5,000 cGy/25 fractions, while those who had conservative breast surgery received booster doses of 1,000-1.600 cGy/5-8 fractions to the tumour bed. The follow-up period was ranged between 52 and 86 months (mean = 62.25 months). The disease-free survival rate was 66.66 percent (24 patients). Nine of 10 patients who had loco-regional and/or distant failure were premenopausal women. So the authors suggest that CMF chemotherapy is inadequate for controlling the disease because in premenopausal patients there is greater risk of recurrence and metastases than in post-menopausal patients. Anthracyclines-based combination chemotherapy should be considered for premenopausal breast cancer patients.