Adjuvant combination chemotherapy with CMF in primary mammary carcinoma

From 1973 to 1975, 207 patients with clinical stages I and II breast cancer who underwent radical mastectomy and were found to have histologically positive axillary lymph nodes were entered into a clinical trial that compared no further therapy with prolonged, cyclic chemotherapy consisting of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil (CMF). A full 12 cycles of CMF therapy has been completed in 124 patients. After observation for 6 to 34 mth, the cancer recurrence rate was 29.6% in the control group and 12% in the CMF group. The difference in the relapse curves of the 2 groups was highly significant, irrespective of the number of positive axillary lymph nodes. Short-term toxicity was frequent but acceptable. Conclusions regarding the effects of CMF therapy on survival await a longer period of observation.