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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2022; 43(02): 139-143
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1742616
Case Report with Review of Literature

Megestrol Acetate in the Treatment of Post COVID-19 Fatigue in a Patient of Advanced Cancer: A Case Report and Mini Review of Literature

Chaitanya R Patil
1   Department of Pain and Palliative care, Kolhapur Cancer Center, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
,
Nilesh A Dhamne
2   Department of Medical Oncology, Kolhapur Cancer Center, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
,
Prasad K Tanawade
3   Department of Radiation Oncology, Kolhapur Cancer Center, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
,
Namrata B Mestri
4   Department of Pathology, DY Patil Medical College, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
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Abstract

Megestrol acetate is one of the pharmacological agents used for cancer-associated fatigue. To date, there are no studies on its use in the treatment of post-COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) fatigue. So, we report a case of metastatic carcinoma lung with a partial response with three cycles of palliative chemotherapy. He was contracted with mild COVID-19 infection post three cycles of his chemotherapy. Post this episode, fatigue was his main and most troublesome symptom. After a thorough clinical history, physical examination, and investigations, type 2 post-COVID-19 syndrome was diagnosed. After explaining the risks and benefits, we started the patient on low-dose megestrol acetate (160 mg/d per oral) with low to moderate benefits. However, upon increasing the dose to 480 mg/d, the benefit on the subjective quality of life was significant. Studies with a larger sample and randomized controlled trials have to be conducted to substantiate the hypothesis and actual effect of megestrol acetate in the treatment of post-COVID-19 fatigue.

Keywords

post COVID-19 syndrome - advanced cancer - fatigue - megestrol acetate

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Publication History

Article published online:
14 April 2022

© 2022. Indian Society of Medical and Paediatric Oncology. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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