[Effect of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MAP) in high doses on chlorambucil-induced bone marrow depression....

On the basis of previous observations indicating that Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (MAP) administered in high doses induces leukocytosis and an increase in the platelet count, the Authors have studied the effect of high-dose MAP on leukocytes and platelets when it was combined with Chlorambucil (CLB) in patients suffering from ovarian cancer in various stages. 28 patients treated with high-dose MAP and CLB showed a statistically significant lower mean reduction of WBC count and reduction of the incidence, entity, and duration of the leukopenia as compared to 29 patients treated only with CLB. These effects were particularly evident when MAP was administered intramuscularly. It was not possible to evaluate the effect of high-dose MAP on the platelet count because the CLB regimen did not induce a significant decrease in it. These preliminary results are interesting because they suggest the possibility that high-dose MAP, which has already been utilized in oncology for its antitumor, analgesic, and anabolic activity in the treatment of breast, endometrial, renal, and prostatic cancer, might be able to be employed to reduce the myelotoxic effects of chemotherapy.