Hormonal therapy in cancer of the breast.XXIV. Effect of corticosterone or medroxyprogesterone acetate on clinical course and hormonal excretion

A total of 44 patients with advancing cancer of breast were treated in a double-blind study comparing corticosterone, NSC 9705, in a dose of 400 mg per day plus 3 Gm of potassium chloride, with medroxyprogesterone acetate, NSC 26386 (Provera), in a dose of 100 mg per day of the micronized preparation plus 3 Gm of potassium chloride. One of the 21 patients who received corticosterone sustained an objective regression of her advanced disease but none of the patients receiving medroxyprogesterone acetate were objectively improved. There were no apparent effects from medroxyprogesterone acetate on hormonal excretion patterns. Corticosterone produced increases in the excretion of formaldehydogenic corticoids and blue tetrazolium corticoids but not in Porter-Silber chromogens. Corticosterone also induced significant increases in pregnanediol excretions.