Paclitaxel and carboplatin plus megestrol acetate in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

The present study evaluated the efficacy and toxicity of paclitaxel and carboplatin with megestrol acetate for patients with stage IIIb and IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Forty patients with no prior chemotherapy and Karnofsky performance status of > or = 60 were enrolled in the study. There were 18 males and 22 females with a median age of 57.5 years, and the median performance status was 70 per cent. Eleven cases were stage IIIb and 29 cases were stage IV. Twenty-five cases were adenoCA, 12 were squamous cell, 2 were large cell and one was undifferentiated NSCLC. These patients received paclitaxel 135 mg/m2 by intravenous infusion over 24 hours before carboplatin was given at AUC=6 by 2 hours infusion. Megestrol acetate 160 mg/day was given to all patients from day 2 to 14. This treatment produced partial remission in 12 of 39 evaluable patients (30.76%). Toxicity caused mild nausea, vomiting, myalgia, neuropathy, 20.95 per cent grade 3 neutropenia and 4.15 per cent grade 4 neutropenia. Grade 3 thrombocytopenia was 5.4 per cent, without grade 4. There were no statistically significant changes in weight, serum albumin, and quality of life throughout the cycle 1-6. Conclusion: The addition of megestrol acetate to chemotherapy benefitted these patients by minimizing constitute symptoms throughout the treatment period especially in the quality of life, weight loss and stabilized serum albumin.

Recombinant interferon-alpha 2b and megestrol acetate in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Fifteen patients with histologically proven metastatic or unresectable renal cell carcinoma were enrolled for a phase II trial of Interferon-alpha 2b (> or = 6 x 10(6) U/m2) plus megestrol acetate (160 mg/day). A response rate of 14.3 per cent was achieved in this study. We observed weight gain (median 3.2 kilogram; range 1.1 to 6.9) in 5 patients, and stable weight in 5 of the 14 patients who completed the protocol. Weight gain occurred regardless of extent of metastasis or response to interferon. Our data suggest a possible role for megestrol acetate in alleviating anorexia and weight loss in patients with renal cell carcinoma undergoing interferon treatment. Further clinical trials are clearly warranted.

Estudo de fase II de acetato de megestrol em anorexia e perda de peso em pacientes com AIDS / Phase II trial of megestrol acetate in patients with Aids-related anorexia and weight loss

Objetivos: Avaliar o efeito da suspensäo oral de acetato de megestrol na alteraçäo de peso corpóreo, na diminuiçäo da anorexia e na melhora da qualidade de vida de pacientes com AIDS. Desenho do Estudo: Estudo aberto, com 600 mg de acetato de megestrol em suspensäo oral, por dia, por 12 semanas. Pacientes: Foram envolvidos no estudo 20 pacientes soropositivos para HIV, estando na faixa de 30 porcento de seu peso ideal e que perderam mais de 10 por cento de seu peso corpóreo inicial desde o diagnóstico da infecçäo por HIV. Resultados: Foram avaliados 20 pacientes soropositivos para HIV, sendo 8 (40 por cento) do sexo feminino, 12 (60 por cento) do sexo masculino, com idade média de 33,7 anos, recebendo 600mg/dia de acetato de megestrol. Antes do uso da medicaçäo do estudo, os pacientes apresentavam peso médio de 55,3 Kg e após o uso da mesma este valor passou a 62,8 Kg com ganho percentual de 13,6 porcento. Conclusöes: A ingestäo do medicamento acetato de megestrol teve grande importância na melhora do estado nutricional dos pacientes, uma vez que a maioria apresentou aumento de apetite e conseqüente aumento de peso sem apresentar intercorrências que pudessem interferir no diagnóstico do seu estado nutricional.