A combination chemoendocrine therapy of mitoxantrone, doxifluridine, and medroxyprogesterone acetate for anthracycline-resistant advanced breast cancer

Abstract

Between January 1993 and October 1995, 34 patients with anthracycline-resistant advanced breast cancer were treated with a combination chemoendocrine therapy of mitoxantrone (MIT), doxifluridine (5'-DFUR) and medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). Of 34 patients, 28 were evaluable for efficacy of this combination therapy, and 30 including 2 for whom data were incomplete were assessed for adverse drug reactions. Adriamycin (ADM) was used for pretreatment in 12 patients, 4'-epi-ADM in 6, and THP-ADM in 12. In the eligible patients, 8.0 mg/m2 MIT was administered intravenously every 4 weeks, and 600 mg MPA and 600 mg 5'-DFUR were given orally every day. The median follow-up period was 25 weeks (range 2-90 weeks). The median cumulative dose of mitoxantrone was 66 mg (range 12-121 mg). Of the 28 patients, 11 (39.3%) responded to this combination therapy. As for response in relation to predominant site of lesion, 1 of 5 soft tissue lesions (20%) and 8 of 12 bone metastases (66.7%) showed a partial response, and one complete response and one partial response (25.0%) were seen in eight lung lesions. None of three pleural lesions responded to this therapy. The median duration of response was 31 +/- weeks (range 12-82 weeks). Adverse drug reactions were controllable or tolerable. Combined chemoendocrine therapy with a low dose of MIT is a well-tolerated and moderately effective regimen for the treatment of anthracycline-resistant advanced breast cancer.

Histological Characteristics of Thymus Assessed with Stereological Parameters after Medroxyprogesterone Acetate Application

“…Most of the data on MPA immunosuppressive effect have been obtained from examinations of patients with advanced cancer of the endometrium treated with hormone therapy with this progestin or during the treatment of lymph node metastasis, after surgery for primary breast cancer [1,2]. Although the adverse drug reactions are controllable or tolerable, the most common reported effects that appear after this kind of therapy are leucopenia [3][4][5], suppression of bone marrow [6], suppression of T -lymphocytes [7] and regression of lymph nodes [8]. There are some authors who believe OPEN …”