Effect of adrenalectomy on mammary carcinoma.

In May, 1951, Dr. Charles Huggins performed the first bilateral adrenalectomy for far-advanced carcinoma of the breast. 2 To-day, this decisive step represents a fruitful, clinical application of basic knowledge established by the experiments conducted by Dr. Huggins. 3,4 These experiments and the results of their clinical applications confirm the existence of hormonal influence on cancer of the breast and cancer of the prostate gland. 1 The combined national effort currently directed toward the search for chemotherapeutic agents has not matched the achievements obtained by the clinical application of one man's research. This is evident in the comparison of the nature and the extent of the response induced by endocrine ablation to the current standard of favorable response induced by various anticancer drugs. Despite reports of its palliative effects and relatively uncomplicated surgical course, adrenalectomy has not been adequately emphasized as an effective therapy of inoperable cancer of the breast