Cancer drugs A to Z list
Megestrol acetate is a type of hormone treatment. It is also called Megace or megestrol.
It is a treatment for womb, breast, and ovarian cancer that has:
come back after treatment (recurred or relapsed)
spread to other parts of the body (secondary or metastatic cancer)
It is also a treatment for poor appetite. Your doctor might suggest you take it if you have lost weight because of cancer or its treatment.
Find out more about womb, breast and ovarian cancer
Megestrol acetate is a man-made version of the hormone progesterone. Progesterone is one of the female hormones, but men also make a small amount of it.
Hormones are natural substances made by glands in our bodies. They are carried around our body in our bloodstream and act as messengers between one part of our body and another.
Some cancers use hormones to grow or develop. This means the cancer is hormone sensitive or hormone dependent.
Megestrol acetate can interfere with the hormone balance in the body so that the body makes smaller amounts of the hormones that some cancers depend on to grow. It may also interact with other hormones or have a direct effect on the cancer to stop it growing.
You take megestrol acetate as a tablet. You swallow them whole with a glass of water.
You should take the right dose, not more or less.
Talk to your healthcare team before you stop taking a cancer drug, or if you miss a dose.
You usually take megestrol acetate once a day, at the same time each day. Sometimes the dose is divided up, so that you take the tablets a couple of times a day.
When you start taking it you should take them for at least 2 months. This is to find out if they are working. You can take them for as long as the treatment is working and you aren’t experiencing too many side effects.
Side effects can vary from person to person. They also depend on what other treatments you're having.
Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist will go through the possible side effects. They will monitor you during treatment and check how you are at your appointments. Contact your advice line as soon as possible if:
you have severe side effects
your side effects aren’t getting any better
your side effects are getting worse
Early treatment can help manage side effects better.
We haven't listed all the side effects here. Talk to your healthcare team if you have any new symptoms that you think might be a side effect of your treatment.
Remember it is very unlikely that you will have all of these side effects. But you might have some of them at the same time.
Cancer drugs can interact with medicines, herbal products, and some food and drinks. We are unable to list all the possible interactions that may happen. An example is grapefruit or grapefruit juice which can increase the side effects of certain drugs.
Tell your healthcare team about any medicines you are taking. This includes vitamins, herbal supplements and over the counter remedies. Also let them know about any other medical conditions or allergies you may have.
It is unknown whether treatment may or may not harm a baby developing in the womb. It is important not to become pregnant or get someone pregnant while you are having treatment. Let your team know straight away if you or your partner become pregnant while having treatment.
Talk to your doctor or nurse about effective contraception you can use during treatment. Ask how long you should use it before starting treatment and after treatment has finished.
Don’t breastfeed during this treatment because the drug may come through into your breast milk.
If you are having tests or treatment for anything else, always mention your cancer treatment. For example, if you are visiting your dentist.
Last reviewed: 17 Mar 2025
Next review due: 17 Mar 2028
Hormone therapy blocks or lowers the amount of hormones in the body to stop or slow down the growth of cancer.
The womb is the pear shaped muscular bag that holds a baby during pregnancy. Most womb cancers start in the lining of the womb. They are also called uterine or endometrial cancer.
Find out about breast cancer, including symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, survival, and how to cope with the effects on your life and relationships.
Ovarian cancer is when abnormal cells in the ovary, fallopian tube or peritoneum begin to grow and divide in an uncontrolled way.
There are medicines that can help with weight loss, cachexia and digestion problems.
There are many cancer drugs, cancer drug combinations and they have individual side effects.
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