Clinical experience of drug treatments for mastalgia

J K Pye, R E Mansel, L E Hughes
The Lancet · 1985 · vol. 326(8451) , pp. 373–377 · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(85)92506-1 · PMID:2862523 · W1995243633
Non-randomised trial OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 20 in-corpus citations
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This paper evaluates drug treatments for mastalgia, reporting that danazol and bromocriptine were effective for cyclical breast pain but less so for non-cyclical cases, while progestagens proved ineffective in both groups.

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Abstract

Results of randomised trials and open studies in 291 patients with severe persistent breast pain in whom breast cancer had been excluded showed that drug therapy produced a good or useful result in 77% of those with cyclical mastalgia and 44% of those with non-cyclical mastalgia. In patients with cyclical mastalgia good or useful responses were obtained with danazol in 70%, with bromocriptine in 47%, and with evening-primrose oil in 45%. The equivalent response rates in patients with non-cyclical mastalgia were 31%, 20%, and 27% respectively. Progestagens were not effective in either group. Failure to respond to one drug did not preclude response to a different drug. Patients with Tietze's syndrome did not respond to drug therapy, but 7 out of 10 responded to injection of lignocaine and hydrocortisone around the affected costochondral junction.

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MeSH descriptors

Breast Fatty Acids, Essential Pain Bromocriptine Bromocriptine Clinical Trials as Topic Danazol Danazol Dydrogesterone Dydrogesterone Fatty Acids, Unsaturated Fatty Acids, Unsaturated Female gamma-Linolenic Acid Humans Linoleic Acids Oenothera biennis Pain Periodicity Plant Oils

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