Megace

Brand name: Megace

Chemical name: Megestrol

Class: Progestin hormonal therapy. There are no other progestins used to treat breast cancer.

How it works: Progestins suppress the effects of estrogen on cancer cells.

Uses: Megace may be used to:

• ease symptoms of metastatic breast cancer, including loss of appetite
• treat advanced-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in women not responding to tamoxifen

How it's given: Megace is taken orally as a pill or liquid.

Additional information: Megace is a man-made version of the human hormone progesterone.

Side effects:

• loss of libido
• vaginal bleeding
• insomnia
• gas
• rash