MULTIDISCIPLINARY TREATMENT WITH ANTHRACYCLINES IN INFLAMMATORY BREAST-CANCER

Twenty-two patients with inflammatory breast cancel treated between 19 62 and 1994 were analyzed. Before the introduction of multidisciplinar y treatment with anthracycline agents between 1962 and 1981, 11 patien ts out of 14 were resected, however, a curative operation was performe d for only 3 of these patients (29.3%). Ablative endocrine therapy, in tra-arterial infusion of anticancer drugs (mitomycin C oi 5-fluorourac il), and radiation were carried out as the preoperative induction ther apy for inflammatory breast cancel: All 14 patients died within 36 mon ths. After the introduction of multi-disciplinary treatment with anthr acycline agents between 1981 and 1994, preoperative induction chemothe rapy ol chemoendocrine therapy using anthracyclines was carried out on 7 out of 8 patients and the remaining patient received radiation. Of the former 7 patients, 6 (85.7%) underwent a curative operation. There was approximately a 35 per cent cumulative survival rate observed 60 months after operation, and 3 patients out of the 7 lived for more tha n 5 years. To conclude, multidisciplinary treatment including systemic induction chemotherapy with anthracyclines was an effective treatment for inflammatory breast cancer.