Tormey D C, Gelman R, Band P R, Sears M, Bauer M, Arseneau J C, Falkson G
Breast Cancer Res Treat. 1981;1(2):111-9. doi: 10.1007/BF01805863.
From October 1973 to October 1977 the ECOG prospectively evaluated cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil (CMF) versus CMF plus fluoxymesterone (CMFH) maintenance therapies in responders to 6 months of induction therapy which consisted of either CMF, CMF plus prednisone (CMFP), or adriamycin plus vincristine (AV). Following the maintenance randomization 12% of the patients converted from a PR to a CR status. The median time from randomization to treatment failure was 9.5 months for CMFH and 6.7 months for CMF (p = 0.03). This difference was observed only for partial responders (p = 0.01) and not for complete responders. Patients receiving CMFH tended to maintain higher hemoglobin, leukocyte, and platelet levels, and receive a higher dosage of each of the cytotoxic drugs. The results are taken as evidence that the addition of fluoxymesterone to a maintenance CMF regimen provides a therapeutic advantage. It is hypothesized that this effect is due at least in part to fluoxymesterone associated maintenance of improved marrow function resulting in greater myelosuppressive drug delivery.
