Biomaterial Database

Megestrol acetate in advanced breast carcinoma. 1994

M Espie

Service d'Oncologie, Hôpital Saint-Louis, Paris, France.

Hormonal therapy of breast cancer is the oldest treatment in advanced disease. Durable remissions can be obtained with a wide variety of hormonal manipulations. Oophorectomy was first used to reduce endogenous hormonal levels. Surgical procedures have been supplanted by drugs that reduce hormone secretion or block steroid hormone activity. Tamoxifen is the agent most widely used because of few side effects. Agonists can also be effective. Estrogens, androgens, and progestins have the same level of activity as surgical ablation or drug antagonists (20-40% overall response rate). More than 2,000 patients with advanced breast cancer worldwide have been treated with megestrol acetate in clinical trials. Reports of the trials show a response rate of 27%. In randomized trials, efficacy of megestrol acetate is comparable with tamoxifen and with other hormonal treatments. At the standard dose of 160 mg/day, the major side effect is weight gain. Studies are ongoing to evaluate if high doses of megestrol acetate may increase the response rate with acceptable toxicity.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008535	Megestrol	A progestational hormone used most commonly as the acetate ester. As the acetate, it is more potent than progesterone both as a progestagen and as an ovulation inhibitor. It has also been used in the palliative treatment of breast cancer.	17-Hydroxy-6-methylpregna-3,6-diene-3,20-dione,Pregna-4,6-diene-3,20-dione, 17-hydroxy-6-methyl-
D011446	Prospective Studies	Observation of a population for a sufficient number of persons over a sufficient number of years to generate incidence or mortality rates subsequent to the selection of the study group.	Prospective Study,Studies, Prospective,Study, Prospective
D001943	Breast Neoplasms	Tumors or cancer of the human BREAST.	Breast Cancer,Breast Tumors,Cancer of Breast,Breast Carcinoma,Cancer of the Breast,Human Mammary Carcinoma,Malignant Neoplasm of Breast,Malignant Tumor of Breast,Mammary Cancer,Mammary Carcinoma, Human,Mammary Neoplasm, Human,Mammary Neoplasms, Human,Neoplasms, Breast,Tumors, Breast,Breast Carcinomas,Breast Malignant Neoplasm,Breast Malignant Neoplasms,Breast Malignant Tumor,Breast Malignant Tumors,Breast Neoplasm,Breast Tumor,Cancer, Breast,Cancer, Mammary,Cancers, Mammary,Carcinoma, Breast,Carcinoma, Human Mammary,Carcinomas, Breast,Carcinomas, Human Mammary,Human Mammary Carcinomas,Human Mammary Neoplasm,Human Mammary Neoplasms,Mammary Cancers,Mammary Carcinomas, Human,Neoplasm, Breast,Neoplasm, Human Mammary,Neoplasms, Human Mammary,Tumor, Breast
D002277	Carcinoma	A malignant neoplasm made up of epithelial cells tending to infiltrate the surrounding tissues and give rise to metastases. It is a histological type of neoplasm and not a synonym for "cancer."	Carcinoma, Anaplastic,Carcinoma, Spindle-Cell,Carcinoma, Undifferentiated,Carcinomatosis,Epithelial Neoplasms, Malignant,Epithelioma,Epithelial Tumors, Malignant,Malignant Epithelial Neoplasms,Neoplasms, Malignant Epithelial,Anaplastic Carcinoma,Anaplastic Carcinomas,Carcinoma, Spindle Cell,Carcinomas,Carcinomatoses,Epithelial Neoplasm, Malignant,Epithelial Tumor, Malignant,Epitheliomas,Malignant Epithelial Neoplasm,Malignant Epithelial Tumor,Malignant Epithelial Tumors,Neoplasm, Malignant Epithelial,Spindle-Cell Carcinoma,Spindle-Cell Carcinomas,Tumor, Malignant Epithelial,Undifferentiated Carcinoma,Undifferentiated Carcinomas
D002986	Clinical Trials as Topic	Works about pre-planned studies of the safety, efficacy, or optimum dosage schedule (if appropriate) of one or more diagnostic, therapeutic, or prophylactic drugs, devices, or techniques selected according to predetermined criteria of eligibility and observed for predefined evidence of favorable and unfavorable effects. This concept includes clinical trials conducted both in the U.S. and in other countries.	Clinical Trial as Topic
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000616	Aminoglutethimide	An aromatase inhibitor that is used in the treatment of advanced BREAST CANCER.	Cytadren,Orimeten
D013629	Tamoxifen	One of the SELECTIVE ESTROGEN RECEPTOR MODULATORS with tissue-specific activities. Tamoxifen acts as an anti-estrogen (inhibiting agent) in the mammary tissue, but as an estrogen (stimulating agent) in cholesterol metabolism, bone density, and cell proliferation in the ENDOMETRIUM.	ICI-46,474,ICI-46474,ICI-47699,Nolvadex,Novaldex,Soltamox,Tamoxifen Citrate,Tomaxithen,Zitazonium,Citrate, Tamoxifen,ICI 46,474,ICI 46474,ICI 47699,ICI46,474,ICI46474,ICI47699
D016032	Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic	Works about clinical trials that involve at least one test treatment and one control treatment, concurrent enrollment and follow-up of the test- and control-treated groups, and in which the treatments to be administered are selected by a random process, such as the use of a random-numbers table.	Clinical Trials, Randomized,Controlled Clinical Trials, Randomized,Trials, Randomized Clinical