Therapeutic oophorectomy in disseminated carcinoma of the breast.

Of 145 women with metastatic breast carcinoma who survived palliative surgical castration, 40.7% had objective remission and another 11.0% had subjective improvement. Favorable response was more frequent in ovulating patients who had small masses of recurrent tumor in fewer locations, with skeletal spread especially well tolerated. Palliation appeared to be related to the site of metastatic disease and numbers (mass) of metastatic sites, but not to the age of the patient, tumor histology, or the disease-free interval. Survival was better for the patients who showed improvement after castration. Such improvement may predict continued relief from the use of other modalities of systemic treatment.