Effect of megestrol acetate on weight loss, body composition and blood screen of gastrointestinal cancer patients

Reduced food intake is probably the major cause of continuing weightloss in cancerpatients. Therefore, agents which stimulate food intake may be of significant benefit to such patients. To examine this, a randomized double-blind placebo controlled study of megestrolacetate was carried out. 38 gastrointestinalcancerpatients with weightloss (8–43% of pre-illness stable weight) were entered into the study. 26 were evaluable at 6 weeks and 21 at 12 weeks. Clinical details, serum biochemistry and haematology were examined at 6 and 12 weeks and total body water, total body potassium at 12 weeks after the baseline assessment. There was no significant weight change in either group over the 6 or 12 weeks. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in total body water, total body potassium, blood biochemistry or haematology between the groups over the study period. It does not appear that megestrolacetate at a dose of 480 mg/day results in weight gain in advanced gastrointestinal cancer patients with weight loss