17-Hydroxy-6α-methylprogesterone acetate (Provera), an active progestational agent, was used as systemic therapy for palliation of metastatic mammary carcinoma in 17 patients with osseous involvement. Hypercalcemia in 4 of these 17 patients was observed during treatment. The mechanism of the induction of the hypercalcemia was felt to result from a direct effect of the steroid (acting as a progestin) on breast cancer rather than through conversion to androgenic or estrogenic substances. Since hypercalcemia in mammary carcinoma usually reflects exacerbation of the disease, caution is advised in the use of active progestins in women with mammary carcinoma.

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