Rapid progression of advanced "hormone-resistant" prostate cancer during palliative treatment with progestins for cancer cachexia.
We report three patients with advanced "hormone-resistant" prostate cancer, each of whom had rapid progression of the disease during treatment with megestrol acetate for cancer cachexia. All patients had been previously treated with total androgenic deprivation. With progression of the disease, megestrol acetate was given to palliate the cancer-related wasting syndrome. No other antineoplastic drugs were contemporaneously given, and no concomitant condition that could favor the progression of the disease was present. The worsening observed while receiving megestrol acetate, and the atypical withdrawal syndrome occurring after the treatment was stopped, seem to suggest a promoting role of megestrol acetate in advanced "hormone-resistant" prostate cancer. The risk of rapid disease progression overwhelming the anti-cachectic palliative effect should be kept in mind when progestins are administered as a palliative treatment of cancer cachexia in patients with advanced "hormone-resistant" prostate cancer.
Department of Oncology, City Hospital, Rimini, Italy
Davide
D
Tassinari
Francesca
F
Fochessati
Ilaria
I
Panzini
Barbara
B
Poggi
Sergio
S
Sartori
Alberto
A
Ravaioli
D000368:Aged; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002100:Cachexia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018450:Disease Progression; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019290:Megestrol Acetate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010166:Palliative Care; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013997:Time Factors
D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D019290:Megestrol Acetate