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Many clinicians are reluctant to prescribe estrogens for hot flashes in women with a history of breast cancer. In addition, a safe and effective treatment for hot flashes is needed for men with prostate cancer who undergo androgen deprivation therapy. This double-blind crossover study examined an alternative treatment for hot flashes: the progestational drug megestrol acetate.
The study enrolled 97 women with menopausal hot flashes and previous breast cancer, and 66 men with hot flashes after orchiectomy or anti-androgen medication for prostate cancer. All patients received megestrol (20 mg twice a day) and placebo for four weeks each, in random order.
During the first four weeks, both men and women receiving megestrol had significantly great…