[Intra-arterial infusion chemotherapeutic effect of stage III breast cancer by survival rates].

Between January 1977 and December 1989, 140 patients of Stage III breast cancer were treated in Sapporo Medical College. Sixty-six of these patients received intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy. The anticancer drugs were mainly given by two routes, infusion into the internal mammary artery and the subclavian artery. Continuous infusion of 5-FU and intermittent injections of ADR, MMC, 4'-epi-ADR or THP-ADR were jointly or individually made in each artery. The 5-and 10-year overall survival rates were: infusion group 49.2% and 49.2%, non-infusion group 64.0% and 45.0%, respectively. Intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy seems to be useful because non-infusion group contained mostly Stage IIIa and conversely the infusion group contained mostly Stage IIIb. A significant difference was seen between 5-FU infusion group and MMC.ADR group (p=0.026). MMC group, MMC + ADR combination group and 4'-epi-ADR group were marginally significantly different in terms of survival rates of the anticancer drugs of Stage IIIb.