Anticachectic efficacy of megestrol acetate at different doses and versus placebo in patients with neoplastic cachexia.

Anorexia and cachexia are present in the majority of patients with advanced-stage cancer. Several agents have been tested for their ability to reverse weight loss in these patients. Megestrol acetate has been demonstrated to improve appetite and weight, independent of tumor response, when used in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Several trials have studied the ability of megestrol acetate to stimulate weight gain in patients with non-hormone-sensitive tumors. One hundred fifty patients with a weight lost of more than 5% in the 3 previous months were randomized between double-blind megestrol acetate 160 mg daily (LMA), megestrol acetate 480 mg daily (HMA), or placebo (P). Weight, mid-arm circumference, triceps skinfold thickness (TST), performance status (Karnofsky index), and a quality-of-life status by seven linear analogic self-assessment scales were assessed before the start of treatment and at 4, 8, and 12 weeks thereafter. One hundred seven patients were assessable at 4 weeks, 79 at 8 weeks, and 64 at 12 weeks. Sixty-eight percent of patients treated with HMA increased their weights during their permanence on study, versus 37% and 38% of patients treated with P or LMA (p < 0.03). The mean weight gain after 12 weeks of treatment with HMA was 5.41 kg. A significant increase on TST was observed in the HMA group versus the LMA and P groups. There was no gain in performance status or quality of life in any group of treatment. The toxicity registered was mild. There were no thromboembolic events. This trial supports the efficacy of megestrol acetate at 480 mg/day in the treatment of cancer-related cachexia and anorexia, with mild toxicity. However, performance status and quality of life were not influenced by this treatment.

Nutritional factors and gastric cancer in Spain.

A case-control study on diet and gastric cancer, carried out in selected areas of four regions of Spain (Aragon, Castile, Catalonia, and Galicia) in 1988 and 1989, included 354 cases of histologically confirmed gastric adenocarcinoma and 354 controls matched by age, sex, and area of residence. Cases and controls were selected from 15 hospitals, representing most of the hospital facilities in the study areas. Usual diet was estimated by means of a dietary history questionnaire administered by interview. An increased risk of gastric cancer was observed for high consumption of exogenous nitrosamines (odds ratio = 2.1 for the highest quartile of consumption versus the lowest; p for linear trend = 0.007), nitrites, fat, and cholesterol. However, in a multivariate regression model, the effect of fat and cholesterol disappeared. An inverse association with the risk for gastric cancer was seen for high intake of fiber, vitamin C, folate, carotene, and nitrates. High consumption of vitamin C seemed to neutralize the increased risk related to simultaneous consumption of nitrosamines. For histologic type, the authors found no meaningful differences in the effect of most of the nutrients between intestinal and diffuse cancers. Their findings are consistent with previously reported results about the protective effect of fruit and vegetables and the increased risk associated with foods that are important sources of nitrites and preformed nitrosamines.