Estrogen and progestogen therapy in advanced ovarian cancer: preliminary report

Eleven women with advanced ovarian cancer were treated with a sequential and combined hormonal regimen designed to induce and bind tumor progesterone receptors. Two partial responses were seen, and two patients with a recent history of rapid tumor progression achieved disease stabilization. One patient experienced a transient ischemic cerebrovascular episode while on therapy, and a second patient discontinued therapy because of nausea. The regimen was able to induce progesterone receptors in vivo. One patient had no progesterone receptor in a pretreatment tumor biopsy, but did have a high titer of receptors after her first cycle of treatment.