Provera (medroxyprogesterone) is a type of hormone therapy that can be taken as a tablet. It is sometimes used to treat kidney cancer that has spread to other parts of the body (called advanced or metastatic kidney cancer).
If kidney cancer has spread outside the kidney, it usually can't be cured. So, the aim of treatment is to try to slow down the cancer and help to control symptoms. The most widely used treatment is with drugs such as interferon alpha or interleukin-2. These help boost the immune system to fight the cancer. But, if they aren't suitable, or have already been tried and are no longer helping, Provera may be given.
The most common side effects of Provera are:
- bigger appetite leading to putting on weight
- feeling sick (nausea)
- fluid retention
- mood changes such as restlessness and difficulty sleeping.
Provera only helps to control the cancer in a small number of people who take it. So, research is going on all the time to try to find more effective treatments. One promising treatment that has recently been licensed for advanced kidney cancer is sunitinib. As this is a new treatment it may not be widely available. Your specialist would be able to tell you what treatment options there are for your situation.
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