Fluoxymesterone Health Article

Definition

Fluoxymesterone is a synthetic male hormone used to treat women with hormone-dependent breast cancer, and may also be used as a testosterone replacement for men. Fluoxymesterone is sold as Halotestin, Android-F, and Ora-Testryl.

Purpose

Fluoxymesterone is used to manage metastatic breast cancer in menopausal women who have hormone receptor-positive tumors. It may also be used as a supplement to chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer, or as a hormone replacement for men. Additionally, it is sometimes used to treat anemia.

Description

Fluoxymesterone is a synthetic androgen, or male hormone, similar in action to testosterone. Fluoxymesterone works by attaching itself to androgen receptors; this causes it to interact with the parts of the cell involved in the making of proteins. It may cause an increase in the synthesis of some proteins or a decrease in the synthesis of others. These proteins have a variety of effects, including blocking the growth of some types of breast cancer cells, stimulating cells that cause male sexual characteristics, and stimulating the production of red blood cells.

When used as a breast cancer treatment, this drug blocks the growth of tumor cells that are dependent on female hormones to grow. It can only be used on female breast cancer patients who have reached menopause one to five years earlier, or as a result of surgery. It may be used in addition to other chemotherapeutic drugs, such as tamoxifen or cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and fluorouracil.

Fluoxymesterone may be used to treat men; it replaces male hormones which are not being released in the body as a result of tumors, radiation, or surgery affecting the pituitary or hypothalamus.

Recommended dosage

The recommended dosage will depend on the age, sex, and diagnosis of the patient, as well as the response to treatment and occurrence of side effects. Treatment is usually with a full therapeutic dose initially, then adjusted to the individual needs of the patient.

Women being treated for breast cancer usually take 10 to 40 mg per day orally, divided into several doses. Up to three months may be required for a response to treatment.

Androgen replacement therapy for men is usually started at 5 to 20 mg per day, taken orally in divided doses.

If a dose is missed, it should be taken as soon as it is remembered, unless it is more than two hours late. If it is more than two hours late, the patient should skip that dose and continue to follow the normal dosing schedule.