Medroxyprogesterone acetate in the management of cancer cachexia

Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) is a synthetic, orally active derivative of the natural steroid hormone progesterone, widely used in oncology both in the endocrine treatment of hormone-related cancers and as supportive therapy in the cachexia syndrome.

The anticachectic mechanisms of medroxyprogesterone, beyond its endocrine activity, are described to explain its therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of cachexia.

After reviewing its pathophysiology and preclinical studies, the main clinical trials on the use of medroxyprogesterone acetate in cancer cachexia, are reviewed.

Progestagens, including MPA, are at present the only approved drugs in Europe for the clinical treatment of cancer-related anorexia/cachexia syndrome. Placebo-controlled trials on the effect of MPA on cachexia have generally reported an improvement of both anorexia and body weight as well as of quality-of-life parameters. However, the weight gain was due to increased body fat, while fat-free mass was not significantly influenced by MPA treatment. Moreover, very recently the combination of MPA with other new anticachectic agents has been suggested as a way of ameliorating their efficacy in the treatment of cachexia.