The management of locally advanced carcinoma of the breast by Nolvadex (tamoxifen): a pilot study.

Fifty-one postmenopausal women with locally advanced breast cancer were treated initially by Nolvadex (Tamoxifen, ICI) alone and followed prospectively between 1974 and 1982. Twenty-three patients (40%) showed an objective response to therapy of whom 17 (75%) remain in remission at median follow-up of 36 months. Patients who failed to respond to Nolvadex therapy were treated by radiotherapy which achieved local control in 64%, with 10 months median duration. Nolvadex therapy conveys a good quality lengthy remission to a sizeable minority of patients. The majority of those who fail to respond are satisfactorily managed by radiotherapy.