Treatment of advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women with 4-hydroxyandrostenedione.
4-Hydroxyandrostenedione (4-OHA), a new specific aromatase inhibitor, was used to treat 57 postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer at a dose of 250 mg by i.m. injection every 2 weeks; 55 women were assessable for response. In all, 18 patients (33%) had objective evidence of a response to treatment, with a median duration of 12 months; the disease stabilised in 8 (14%) patients. Serum oestradiol levels, which were measured weekly in nine of the patients, were found to be suppressed to a mean of between 36% and 51% of pretreatment levels during the first 6 weeks of treatment. Three patients were withdrawn from treatment because of toxicity (pain at injection site, sterile abscess and rash). One patient had an isolated episode of anaphylaxis after 6 months of treatment. In comparison with our previous reports of 4-OHA treatment, a dose of 250 mg given i.m. fortnightly appears to be the optimal dose regimen. The efficacy of the drug seems to be similar to that of tamoxifen and aminoglutethimide.
Stein
R C
RC
Clinical Oncology Unit, St. George's Hospital Medical School, London, UK.
Dowsett
M
M
Hedley
A
A
Davenport
J
J
Gazet
J C
JC
Ford
H T
HT
Coombes
R C
RC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000735:Androstenedione / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000735:Androstenedione; D004958:Estradiol; C014594:formestane