[Ancillary chemotherapy with trofosfamid, methotrexate and fluoro-uracil in cancer of the breast (author's transl)].

The results of adjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of primary cancer of the breast is reported. During 44 months 401 patients were admitted to the prospective study. All patients with a cancer of the breast T1a-3a, N0-1b, M0 were operated by modification of the Patey procedure. N+ patients were treated for one year postoperatively with TMF chemotherapy (trofosfamid, methotrexate and Fluoro-uracil). Patients without lymph node metastases were not treated. After 44 months the recurrence rate in the TMF group was 16.2%, in the group without chemotherapy 9.8%. The recurrence rate in the treated group was 18.8% for post-menopausal patients and 13.8% in pre-menopausal patients. The number of distant metastases was higher than that of local recurrences. In the group without post-operative chemotherapy a higher number of recurrences occurred in the pre-menopausal patients (13.8%) than in the post-menopausal patients (7.5%). The proportion of local recurrences and distant metastases was the same in these patient groups. The experiences regarding the treatment plan and the side effects are the same as in comparable other studies of adjuvant chemotherapy. Several treatment plans are discussed which can lead to a reduction of the recurrence rate and to an improvement of the survival rates.