Palliation for advanced cancer of the breast, trans-septal-sphenoid subtotal hypophysectomy.

Subtotal hypophysectomy by the trans-septal-sphenoid approach was used for palliation in 23 cases of cancer of the breast. Of 18 patients in whom results could be evaluated, eight had palliation for various lengths of time. The other ten were not helped and four of them had complications from the operation. The average survival time for patients who were helped by the operation was longer than for those who were not.