Is anyone currently taking Provera hormone therapy to slow the progression of the cancer?

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Ksfarmgal
Ksfarmgal Member Posts: 4
edited March 2014 in Uterine/Endometrial Cancer #1
My doctor wants me on this. I seem to have significant side effects every time I try-I am going to try again this week. Anyone out there that is taking this and what are you experiencing? I have stage 3c and am post chemo and radiation.

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  • lindaprocopio
    lindaprocopio Member Posts: 1,980
    #2
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    Will you be taking this as a MAINTENANCE drug?
    Is your oncologist suggesting you take this to keep you in remission? Or are you still in active treatment for your initial diagnosis or a recurrence? (Sorry to not be sure of that; I have trouble keeping everyone here straight.) I recently had tissue assays that showed my cancer is now Estrogen Receptor negative and Progesterone Receptor negative, so something like Provera probably wouldn't work on my cancer. Did you have assays that show you as ER+ ? I'd want to know that before I took something like Provera.

    Here's what I've read: Depo-Provera reduces the risk of endometrial cancer by 80%. The reduced risk of endometrial cancer in Depo-Provera users is thought to be due to both the direct anti-proliferative effect of progestogen on the endometrium and the indirect reduction of estrogen levels by suppression of ovarian follicular development.

    That sounds really promising! Please tell us more about your cancer and any justification your oncologist may have given you for wanting you to try this. I would LOVE to know more, just in case this is something I could try. Thanks!
  • thank you
    thank you Member Posts: 77
    #3
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    lindaprocopio said:

    Will you be taking this as a MAINTENANCE drug?
    Is your oncologist suggesting you take this to keep you in remission? Or are you still in active treatment for your initial diagnosis or a recurrence? (Sorry to not be sure of that; I have trouble keeping everyone here straight.) I recently had tissue assays that showed my cancer is now Estrogen Receptor negative and Progesterone Receptor negative, so something like Provera probably wouldn't work on my cancer. Did you have assays that show you as ER+ ? I'd want to know that before I took something like Provera.

    Here's what I've read: Depo-Provera reduces the risk of endometrial cancer by 80%. The reduced risk of endometrial cancer in Depo-Provera users is thought to be due to both the direct anti-proliferative effect of progestogen on the endometrium and the indirect reduction of estrogen levels by suppression of ovarian follicular development.

    That sounds really promising! Please tell us more about your cancer and any justification your oncologist may have given you for wanting you to try this. I would LOVE to know more, just in case this is something I could try. Thanks!

    What we were told by our
    What we were told by our oncologist from Boston is that progesterone will possible be used if my mom has recurrence - instead of chemotherapy since it prolongs the survival. This is what we were told 2 years ago, when she was first diagnosed. At the end of her chemo and radiation I asked him if we should give it as a prophylactic / maintenance treatment (which I still think might be a good idea) but he did not agree and he argued that the side effects are many (but many woman are taking Provera, and side effects from chemo are even worse), and it is not sure that it helps.
    I think that having a maintenance therapy that somebody can take after the end of treatment to help prevent the recurrence is an excellent idea. I don't understand why there is not much of research on that. We have people with other severe diseases such as vasculitis and after the aggressive treatment and while on remission they take low dose prednisone and other remission drugs. And they do so well. If I had endometrial cancer that is ER+ I would take Provera.

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