[A comparative study between low-dose and high-dose medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) in the treatment of advanced and recurrent breast cancer--in relation to dose, serum concentration and response. Osaka Breast Cancer Research Group].

A prospective randomized study was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of MPA in the treatment of breast cancer by comparing low dose (600 mg/day) with high dose (1,200 mg/day) of MPA. In 35 evaluable cases, the response rate to treatment was 40.0% (8/20) with low dose MPA and 26.7% (4/15) with high dose MPA. There was no significant difference between the two groups. The serum MPA concentration measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay was 23.2 +/- 17.6 ng/ml in the low-dose group and 89.5 +/- 56.7 ng/ml in the high-dose group. Intrapatient variability in serum MPA concentration was relatively stable, but interpatient variability was large. No correlation was found between the response rate and serum MPA concentration. The above results indicate that a low dose of MPA (600 mg/day) is a useful treatment with high effectiveness and safety in advanced and recurrent breast cancer patients. Though no exact data on the optimal serum concentration could not be obtained, it was obvious that a successful response cannot be expected from a serum MPA concentration of less than 17 ng/ml, which was the average serum concentration in NC and PD patients of the low-dose group.