[Adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, and 5-fluorouracil in the treatment of metastasizing breast cancer (author's transl)]

Abstract

In a prospective study eleven patients with metastasizing breast cancer were treated with 5-fluorouracil, adriamycin, and cyclophosphamide )FAC). Complete remission occurred in three patients, with two of them still in remission four and thirteen months later. Partial remission (50% decrease in tumour size for more than four weeks) was achieved in five cases, with three of them still in remission. Time for remission induction was one to three months. The mean duration of complete remissions is not yet reached after thirteen months- that of partial remissions was 6.5 months. Two patients showed stable disease for four and more than eleven months, respectively. Only in one case progressive disease was noticed. Mean survival time from the start of therapy was 7.5 months for all patients. For complete and partial responders mean survival is not yet reached after eighteen months. With one exception therapy was given on an outpatient basis. Experimental and clinical data on therapeutic synergism of adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, and 5-fluorouracil show no advantage of the three-drug combination over the combination of adriamycin and cylophosphamide alone.