[Adjuvant therapy in breast cancer (high risk). Randomized study: radiotherapy versus combination radiotherapy and chemotherapy].

108 patients with high risk stage of a mammary carcinoma (four or more positive axillary lymph nodes) were submitted after surgery to a prospectively randomized study: a postirradiation in three series with additional administration of tamoxifen was opposed to a reduced-dose irradiation and subsequent simultaneous combination of polychemotherapy and irradiation. In patients with an age of less than 50 years, the combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy caused a significant prolongation of the recurrence-free interval (greater than 57 months versus 12,75 months). The comparison with literature shows that an average interval of 39.1 months without recurrences for the total group of patients treated with combination therapy corresponds to the result of a high-dose adjuvant CMF therapy. With respect to mean life expectancy, there was no significant difference between both groups of randomization.