Hot flashes in patients with breast cancer

Flushing or hot flashes in patients with breast cancer are a common problem.

Many breast cancers are sensitive to circulating estrogen levels and for many women, suppressing the production or the effects of estrogen on the body is a key strategy for their treatment. Lack of estrogen causes symptoms similar to menopause and the most unpleasant of these are hot flushes, sweating or hot flushes.

New research has examined the effect ofa drug called megestrol acetate or acetate megesterol in the treatment of hot flashes in women with breast cancer.

They studied nearly three hundred patients with breast cancer who had completed surgery and chemotherapy and at least four months of treatment with tamoxifen for their condition.

Before they took part in the study had at least ten women have experienced hot flashes of any severity or at least five severe episodes each week.When Researchwas looked at, eighty percent of women who participated were to tamoxifen, and forty percent had more than sixty hot flushes per week. Three quarters of them had experienced sweats and flashes for more than six months before the start of the study.

The women were divided into three groups. One group was given a placebo tablet, one group received 20 mg of Megace and the other group received 40 mg of Megace daily. Everyone has their medication for three months. A good result was defined ascompletion of treatment with a seventy-five percent or greater reduction in hot flashes from the point of departure and women.

If the treatment had worked well in other women have had three months of the same drug and dosage. If they do not have more than three months after receiving Megace 20 mg one day above what they were already.

Reduce rinse seventy fiver percent or more was reported in

O Only 14% of women who hadplacebo drug
or 65% of women who were at a dose of 20 mg
OR 48% of women in the 40 mg dose of the drug

In addition, most successes in the three months to six months remained in seventy-seven percent of women and 20 mg of eighty percent of women 40 mg per day - but there was no significant effect on other symptoms of menopause, such as vaginal dryness and joint pain.

For women who Megace the main side effects are fluid retention andweight gain, fatigue and sometimes mild depression.

The researchers concluded that Megace was very successful in reducing hot flashes and sweating in breast cancer survivors with permanent results after 6 months. They recommend the twenty mg dose for most women and says that this treatment should be considered for all women with hot flashes in menopausal symptoms after breast cancer treatment.

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