title: Maintenance treatment with medroxyprogesterone acetate in patients with advanced breast cancer responding to chemotherapy: results of a randomized trial. Essen Breast Cancer Study Group.
abstract: The purpose of this randomized phase III trial was to study whether medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) maintenance treatment prolongs the time to progression in advanced breast cancer patients responding to an induction chemotherapy. Patients with progressive advanced breast cancer previously untreated with anthracylines and progestins were given epirubicin (30 mg/m2) and ifosfamide (2 g/m2) on days 1 and 8 at 3-weekly intervals. Patients without disease progression after 6 cycles of chemotherapy were randomly assigned to receive, until progression, either no treatment or MPA at a daily total dose of 500 mg. Ninety patients were randomized: 46 to the MPA arm and 44 to the observation arm. Median time to progression was longer in the MPA arm: 4.9 months versus 3.7 months in the intent-to-treat analysis (p = 0.02), and 4.9 months versus 3.0 months in the secondary efficacy analysis (p = 0.012). Seven patients were removed from MPA due to side effects. The changes in patient-rated quality of life scores were similar in both groups. The median length of survival from randomization was 17.4 months for patients receiving MPA and 18.3 months for patients randomized to observation (p = 0.39). In conclusion, in patients with advanced breast cancer achieving remission or non-progression with 6 cycles of epirubicin and ifosfamide chemotherapy, MPA maintenance treatment led to a significant, though modest, prolongation of the time to progression without affecting overall survival of the study patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine (Cancer Research), West German Cancer Center, University of Essen Medical School.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kloke
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Klaassen
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oberhoff
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hartwich
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Szanto
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heckmann
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Huhn
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Stephan
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schnepper
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Donsbach
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bechtel
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rudolph
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berke
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Borquez
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hawig
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hirche
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Schindler
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Seeber
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Becher
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D015251:Epirubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007069:Ifosfamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D017258:Medroxyprogesterone Acetate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D015251:Epirubicin; D017258:Medroxyprogesterone Acetate; D007069:Ifosfamide