title: Progestin as an alternative treatment option for multi-treated recurrent triple-negative breast cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with recurrent triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) currently have no established treatment option other than chemotherapy. However, long-term chemotherapy is often difficult due to adverse effects. A previous study documented a 10%-30% response rate of progestins in oestrogen receptor-negative breast cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of medroxyprogesterone/megestrol acetate (MPA/MA) in patients with recurrent TNBC.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective observational analysis included 51 patients with recurrent TNBC; 17 were treated with MPA/MA and 34 underwent chemotherapy. The two groups were matched at a 1:2 ratio according to age, metastatic sites, and salvage treatment lines. Efficacy was compared using the χ2 and rank-sum tests. Progression-free survival (PFS) was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the two groups were compared using the log-rank test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The two groups were well balanced in terms of age, disease-free survival, number of metastases, and salvage therapy lines. Clinical benefit rates in the MPA/MA and chemotherapy groups were 52.94% and 73.53%, respectively (χ2 test, p = 0.208), and median PFS was comparable between groups (log-rank test, p = 0.135). Median PFS of 1st-6th-line salvage treatments was shorter in the MPA/MA group than in the chemotherapy group (log-rank test, p = 0.036), but median PFS of ≥7th-line salvage treatments was comparable (log-rank test, p = 0.139). Eight patients discontinued chemotherapy due to adverse effects, and one patient withdrew from MPA treatment because of weight gain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Progestins (MPA/MA) are an alternative treatment option for multi-treated recurrent TNBC.
authors.affiliation: Breast Cancer Department, Affiliated Hospital of Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China. mengxiangyingbj@gmail.com
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xiangying
authors.forename: Wu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shikai
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zefei
authors.forename: Sun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bing
authors.forename: Ma
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Zhao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.forename: Ding
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lijuan
authors.forename: Wang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.forename: Wang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Zhang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shaohua
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Santai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D017258:Medroxyprogesterone Acetate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019290:Megestrol Acetate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000188:drug therapy; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016879:Salvage Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D017258:Medroxyprogesterone Acetate; D019290:Megestrol Acetate