COMPARISON OF MEDROXYPROGESTERONE SERUM CONCENTRATIONS BY THE ORAL OR INTRAMUSCULAR ROUTE IN PATIENTS WITH PERSISTENT OR RECURRENT ENDOMETRIAL CARCINOMA

A randomized study, comparing serum medroxyprogesterone concentrations by the oral and intramuscular routes, was performed on 22 patients with persistent or recurrent endometrial adenocarcinoma by six institutions of the Gynecologic Oncology Group. The oral group (11 patients) received cutaneous Provera (medroxyprogesterone), 50 mg 3 times a day, and the intramuscular group (11 patients) received 300 mg of Depo-Provera (medroxyprogesterone) weekly for at least 2 mth. Serum levels were evaluated at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 hr after administration and every day for the first week and weekly thereafter for 8 wk. The mean serum levels (nanograms per milliliter) of medroxyprogesterone in the oral group were consistently higher than the corresponding mean levels of the intramuscular group. In addition, from the first through eighth weeks, the measurements (medians) for the oral group were statistically higher than those for the intramuscular group. Although the study indicates a significant increase in serum levels achieved by the oral route, the follow-up period of patients under study is too early to evaluate its clinical effectiveness as compared to the intramuscular route.