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A controlled trial of megestrol acetate on appetite, caloric intake, nutritional status, and other symptoms in patients with advanced cancer
- Source :
- Cancer. 66(6)
- Publication Year :
- 1990
-
Abstract
- This double-blind, cross-over trial was designed to assess the effects of megestrol acetate (MA) on cancer-induced cachexia. Forty consecutive malnourished patients with advanced non-hormone-responsive tumors receiving no antineoplastic treatment were randomized to receive MA 480 mg/day versus placebo for 7 days. During day 8, a cross-over was made until day 15. Appetite, pain, nausea, depression, energy, and well-being were assessed with a visual analog scale (0 to 100 mm) at 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM during days 6, 7, 13, and 14. Weight (W;kg), tricep skinfold (TS; mm), arm circumference (AC; cm), and calf circumference (CC; cm) were measured at days 1, 8, and 15. Caloric intake (CI; Kcal/day) was determined during days 6, 7, 13, and 14. In 31 evaluable patients, the percentual difference in appetite at 9:00 AM, appetite at 4:00 PM, energy, and well-being after MA was +15.1, +14, +3.2, and +5.2, versus -12 (P = 0.03), -5.1 (P = 0.015), -10 (P = 0.024), and -8.3 (not significant) after placebo. Percentual difference in W, TS, AC, and CC after MA was +0.2, +1, -0.1, and +0.4 versus -0.8 (P = 0.03), -0.8 (P = 0.001), -0.3 (not significant), and -0.5 (P = 0.04) after placebo. CI during MA was 3480 +/- 1574 (48-hour intake), versus 2793 +/- 1542 (P less than 0.001) during placebo. Patients and investigators blindly chose MA in 20 (66%, P = 0.023) and 28 cases (92%, P less than 0.001), placebo in eight and two cases, and made no choice in three and one cases, respectively. Toxicity consisted of mild edema and nausea in three and two cases, respectively. After mean follow-up of 27 +/- 13 days, on an open basis, an average increase in W and AC of 4.8 +/- 1.7 kg and 2.8 +/- 1.7 cm was observed, respectively. The authors conclude that MA is a powerful appetite stimulant with subjective and objective effects on nutritional status.
- Subjects :
- Male
Cancer Research
medicine.medical_specialty
Nausea
Visual analogue scale
media_common.quotation_subject
Appetite
Nutritional Status
Placebo
Gastroenterology
Cachexia
Placebos
chemistry.chemical_compound
Eating
Random Allocation
Double-Blind Method
Internal medicine
Neoplasms
medicine
Humans
media_common
Clinical Trials as Topic
business.industry
Megestrol Acetate
Body Weight
Megestrol
Middle Aged
medicine.disease
Nutrition Disorders
Skinfold Thickness
Endocrinology
Oncology
chemistry
Megestrol acetate
Toxicity
Female
medicine.symptom
business
Energy Intake
Attitude to Health
medicine.drug
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 0008543X
- Volume :
- 66
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Cancer
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....965dc9c248c6a3ec79ec16484a11f58c