Hedley Atkins

TEN YEARS' EXPERIENCE OF STEROID ASSAYS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BREAST CANCER: A Review

Abstract The usefulness of the discriminant function for the prediction of response to adrenalectomy or hypophysectomy has been investigated in 206 patients, over the past ten years. In general, patients with negative discriminants have a lower remission-rate than those with positive discriminants but factors such as the free period and menopausal status modify the predictive value of the discriminant. Patients without a previous mastectomy do not respond as well to adrenalectomy as they do to hypophysectomy. The combination of these clinical factors with the discriminant function affords a means of identifying a group of patients who are not responsive to endocrine ablation.

URINARY STEROIDS IN THE PREDICTION OF RESPONSE TO ADRENALECTOMY OR HYPOPHYSECTOMY: A Second Clinical Trial

Abstract 31 patients with advanced breast cancer and negative discriminant functions were treated surgically by hypophysectomy; 43 discriminant-positive patients were treated by adrenalectomy and oophorectomy. The success-rates were 13% and 30%, respectively.