Vaginal cytologic evaluation as a practical link between hormone blood levels and tumor hormone dependency in exclusive medroxyprogesterone treatment of recurrent or metastatic endometrial adenocarcinoma.

In one hundred patients treated by means of one gram medroxyprogesterone a week for disseminated or recurrent endometrial adenocarcinoma, vaginal cytohormonal evaluation seemed to be an important predictive factor of hormone dependency and tumoral responsiveness to progestational therapy. Almost all 51 patients, representing the responsive group, revealed an evident drop of the Karyopyknotic Index and a complete shift to the left of the Maturation Index. Both cytohormonal and tumoral response to medroxyprogesterone seemed directly related to estrogen-progestogen interaction on a cellular level. The striking LH response in the responsive group has previously not been integrated in this mechanism of action.