Hormone conditioned cancer chemotherapy for recurrent breast cancer prolongs survival.

Left suprarenal-inferior mesenteric venous shunt (Inokuchi) was prescribed for 80 patients with recurrent breast cancer and the efficacy of hormone conditioned cancer chemotherapy was assessed. The patients were separated into 3 groups according to the historical regimen of combined chemotherapy: Group I; surgical hormone therapy alone, Group II; surgery plus short term chemotherapy, and Group III; surgery plus long term chemotherapy. The 5 year survival rate of the responsive patients to the surgical hormone therapy was as high as 84.6 per cent in Group III, as compared to that of Groups I and II, 41.7 per cent and 16.7, respectively. Survival was not prolonged in non-responsive patients, regardless of the group. These findings indicate that surgical hormone therapy combined with postoperative long term cancer chemotherapy is a valid and effective method for treating recurrence of breast cancer.