ABSTRACT
Turisteron is a depot estrogen with an average biological half-life of six days. It has the advantage compared to other oral estrogens that it can be administered once a week p.o. Forty late postmenopausal patients with metastatic breast cancer received Turisteron. Overall 19 (47,5%) had a positive response. An objective remission rate (tumor regression of greater than 50%) was achieved in 12 patients (30%). To date the mean duration of response is 27 months for complete remissions and 10 months for partial remissions. The risk-response relationship for Turisteron in older patients is favourable compared to that of polychemotherapy and it is therefore recommended that Turisteron be used as the initial therapy of choice for patients with metastatic breast cancer who are more than 5 years postmenopausal. Indications and contraindications for Turisteron are discussed in detail.
Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/secondary , Ethinyl Estradiol/analogs & derivatives , Aged , Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy , Delayed-Action Preparations , Drug Evaluation , Ethinyl Estradiol/adverse effects , Ethinyl Estradiol/therapeutic use , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , PrognosisABSTRACT
A surgical adjuvant therapy trial was started in 1974, in locoregionally advanced breast cancer. The adjuvant hormonal and cytostatic therapeutic regimen was administered according to the results of predictive tests: estrogen receptor (ER) assay and oncobiogram (group I); in the control group (0) no adjuvant therapy was given until relapse, but tests were performed like in group I. Preliminary results. In a subgroup with adjuvant chemotherapy, using one or more substances according to oncobiogram, with or without hormonal treatment, the treated women did highly-significantly better, compared with the untreated group. No advantage was seen from ovariectomy and/or anabolic steroids, either with or without Cytoxan (Test results: ER +, in vitro not growing tumours). Some doubt exists about the results: resistant, especially in testing cytostatics. This doubt and the rate of tumours, not growing in vitro, limit the use of predictive tests, concerning cytostatics. Further, one has to be cautious in the use of additive hormonal treatment in surgical adjuvant therapy: in some cases stimulation can not be excluded.
