After Androcur, Lutényl and Lutéran, the Medicines Agency monitors other progestins suspected of increasing the risk of meningioma, brain tumors causing neurological disorders.
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“An effect « class »“, that is, common to a whole category of drugs, “of progestins on the risk of meningiomas cannot be excluded“. This is what the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines reminds in a press release published on Thursday March 2 (ANSM) which publishes initial recommendations to limit this threat.
Serious neurological disorders
The alert concerns progestins, drugs used in various gynecological pathologies such asendometriosisfibroids, rules long and/or abundant or cycle disorders, in the hormone replacement therapy (including menopause) but also in obstetrics in cases of infertility or repeated abortions.
THE meningiomasa form of brain tumor, are referred to as “benign“because they rarely develop into fatal metastases. They can nevertheless cause serious neurological disorders and as they compress certain areas of the brain, they most often require risky surgery for patients.
Duphaston, Colprone, Utrogestan…
Since the 2010s, several epidemiological studies have already proven a risk of meningioma which increases with the dose received, for three progestins: Lutenyl, Luteran and theAndrocur.
But the question still arises for other progestins, leading the ANSM to convene a committee of experts in January to formulate recommendations to regulate the risk of meningioma for these treatments, pending the results of new epidemiological studies. .
These are the progestins medrogestone (Colprone), progesterone 100 mg and 200 mg (Utrogestan and generics), dydrogesterone (Duphaston) and dienogest (generics from Visanne).
Read also : Androcur: the social security wants to alert the greatest number of patients of a risk of meningioma
Minimum dose, reassessment and brain MRI
In the event of a history of meningioma or existing meningioma, the drug agency contraindicates the introduction of one of these progestogen treatments, except in the event of exceptions to be evaluated by doctors, thus recommends the drug agency. medication.
Treatment should be prescribed at the lowest effective dose with the shortest possible duration of use, the agency says.
The interest in continuing the treatment must also be reassessed each year, in particular around the menopausethe risk of meningioma increasing sharply with age.
A brain MRI should be performed in case of clinical signs neurological suggestive of a meningioma (headaches, disturbances of vision, language, memory and hearing, nausea, dizziness, convulsions, loss of smell, weakness or paralysis).
The Mag of Health – France 5