Radiosensitization of endometrial adenocarcinoma by means of medroxyprogesterone

A prospective study was done on 2 groups of patients each group containing 20 women with endometrial adenocarcinoma. There were 10 well-differentiated and 10 poorly-differentiated tumors in each group. All were treated with intrauterine radium (curietherapy). In Group 1 for 4 weeks before curietherapy the women received 1 gm of memdroxyprogesterone (Depo-Provera) weekly in 2 im injections. Curettement was done on these patients before the radium therapy. The control group received no medroxyprogesterone. 5 weeks after radium therapy pathological examinations were made of all patients through curettement or after hysterectomy. 18 of 20 control patients yielded apparently viable cancer tissue. In the treated group 7 of 20 showed residual viable cancer tissue. Responding patients tended to be older and with lower parity. Of the 13 responding medroxyprogesterone-treated patients 9 had well-differentiated tumors. In the control series only 1 well-differentiated adenocarcinoma responded. The presumed radiosensitization of the cancers by medroxyprogesterone was accompanied by definite histological changes which were absent in nonresponding cases. 1-2 gm medroxyprogesterone instilled into the uterine cavity produced similar morphologic changes within 10 days indicating radiosensitization by local action.