EFFECTS OF MEDROXYPROGESTERONE ACETATE THERAPY ON ADVANCED OR RECURRENT BREAST-CANCER AND ITS INFLUENCES ON BLOOD-COAGULATION AND THE FIBRINOLYTIC SYSTEM

The effects of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) therapy on advanced o r recurrent breast cancer and its influence on blood coagulation and t he fibrinolytic system were compared among three different therapy reg imens consisting of cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, and 5-fluorouracil ( CAF) + MPA and CAF or MPA alone, A clinical response was observed in 4 2.9% (9/21) of the patients for CAF + MPA, 36.4% (8/22) for CAF and 23 .8% (5/21) for MPA alone, No marked thrombosis or its prodromal condit ion was observed in any group, The effects on the test values for bloo d coagulation and the fibrinolytic system did not significantly change in the CAF group, However, both AT-III and protein C significantly in creased above the normal ranges in the CAF + MPA and MPA groups, Incre ases in factor X, plasminogen, and alpha(2)-plasmin inhibitor/plasmin complex (PIG) and decreases in fibrinogen, tissue plasminogen activato r, and D-dimer, were all observed in the MPA and CAF + MPA groups, esp ecially in the MPA group, although these changes remained within the n ormal ranges, The data indicated that MPA has various influences on bl ood coagulation and the fibrinolytic system, but these changes did not suggest activation of the blood coagulation system.