[High-dosage oral gestagen therapy as a failure-regime in metastatic breast cancer]

High-dosage medroxyprogesterone (Farlutal, 1 g/d orally) was administered to 42 female patients with progressive disseminated carcinomas of the breast after conventional cytostatic and hormonal treatment had failed. Besides evaluation of success of treatment the pharmacokinetics of medroxyprogesterone were investigated. A remission rate of 37% (total and partial remissions) indicated that high-dosage oral treatment with gestagens can be used as "failure-regime" in patients at the end of conventional treatment. The plasma level of the gestagen approached values corresponding to high-dosage intramuscular application.