Adjuvant high-dose medroxyprogesterone acetate for early breast cancer: 13years update in a multicentre randomized trial

The authors updated their report on a randomized trial initiated in 1982 co mparing, in early breast cancer, high-dose IM Medroxyprogesterone acetate ( HD-MPA) adjuvant hormonotherapy during 6 months with no hormonotherapy; nod e-positive patients also received 6 courses of IV CMF (day 1, day 8; q.4 we eks). 246 node-negative (NN) and 270 node-positive (NP) patients had been f ollowed for a median duration of 13 years. Previous results were confirmed in this analysis on mature data. In NN patients, relapse-free survival (RFS ) was improved in the adjuvant hormonotherapy arm, regardless of age while overall survival (OAS) was also increased in younger (less then 50 years) p atients. In the whole group of NP patients, no difference was seen regardin g RFS or GAS. However, an age-dependant opposite effect was observed: young er patients (< 50) experienced a worse and significant outcome of relapse-f ree and overall survivals when receiving adjuvant HD-MPA while older patien ts (> = 50) enjoyed a significant improvement of their relapse-free surviva l. For both NN and NP patients, differences in overall survivals observed i n older women with a shorter follow-up, were no longer detected. (C) 2001 C ancer Research Campaign.