A diagnosis of meningioma presents challenges but more so when you discover that mifepristone, which could halt the growth of the tumour, is unapproved in Australia
Medical practitioners often face the difficult challenge of delivering unpleasant news to patients. When my doctor used the words “brain tumour”, like most people who have to deal with that diagnosis, I found it difficult to comprehend anything else for a few moments. However, the word “benign” did bring me some comfort. I had had no pain and just a little hearing loss in my right ear so was stunned by the finding.
The full article is accessible to AMA members and paid subscribers. Login to read more or purchase a subscription now.
Please note: institutional and Research4Life access to the MJA is now provided through Wiley Online Library.
- 1. Grunberg S. Treatment of unresectable meningiomas with the antiprogesterone agent mifepristone. J Neurosurg 1991; 74: 861-866.
- 2. Lamberts SW, Tanghe HL, Avezaat CJ, et al. Mifepristone (RU 486) treatment of meningiomas. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1992; 55: 486-490.
- 3. Spitz IM, Grunberg SM, Chabbert-Buffet N, et al. Management of patients receiving long-term treatment with mifepristone. Fertil Steril 2005; 84: 1719-1726.
- 4. Feminist Majority Foundation. The medical uses of mifepristone. http://www.feminist.org/action/action120f.htm (accessed Oct 2007).
- 5. Lavelle P. The pulse: no room at the inn for RU486. Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2004. http://www.abc.net.au/health/thepulse/s1246252.htm (accessed Oct 2007).
- 6. Allison L. Matters of public importance — mifepristone. Canberra: Australian Parliament, 7 Dec 2005. Australian Democrat speeches. http://www.democrats.org.au/speeches/index.htm?speech_id=1700&display=1 (accessed Oct 2007).
- 7. Commonwealth of Australia. Official Committee Hansard. Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee. Therapeutic Goods Amendment (Repeal of Ministerial Responsibility for Approval of RU486) Bill 2005. 2005; 15 Dec: CA27. http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/senate/commttee/S8992.pdf (accessed Oct 2007).
- 8. Foran T. Debating the abortion pill. Sydney: Australian Doctor, 2005. http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/articles/04/0c038604.asp (accessed Dec 2005).
- 9. Hogan JA. The life of the abortion pill in the United States. In: Legal Electronic Document Archive. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Law School Library, 2000. http://leda.law.harvard.edu/leda/data/247/Hogan,_Julie.html (accessed Oct 2007).
- 10. Cancer patients caught in middle of abortion pill debate. 7.30 Report [transcript]. Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2006. http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2006/s1554500.htm (accessed Oct 2007).
- 11. Jordan B. Letter to Community Affairs Committee of the Australian Parliament. Washington, DC: Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, and Arlington, VA: the Feminist Majority Foundation, Jan 2006. http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/clac_ctte/ru486/submissions/sub1001.pdf (accessed Oct 2007).
- 12. Healy D. Submission to the Therapeutic Goods Amendment (Repeal of Ministerial Responsibility for Approval of RU486) Bill 2005. Canberra: Australian Senate, 8 Feb 2006. http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/clac_ctte/ru486/submissions/sub603.pdf (accessed Oct 2007).
- 13. Healy DL, Fraser HM. The antiprogesterones are coming: menses induction, abortion, and labour? Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1985; 290: 580-581.
- 14. Li DQ, Wang ZB, Bai J, et al. Effects of mifepristone on invasive and metastatic potential of human gastric adenocarcinoma cell line MKN-45 in vitro and in vivo. World J Gastroenterol 2004; 10: 1726-1729.
- 15. Li DQ, Wang ZB, Bai, et al. Reversal of multidrug resistance in drug-resistant human gastric cancer cell line SGC7901/VCR by antiprogestin drug mifepristone. World J Gastroenterol 2004; 10:1722-1725.
- 16. Qian C, Liu XY, Prieto J. Therapy of cancer by cytokines mediated by gene therapy approach. Cell Res 2006; 16: 182-188.
- 17. Ghoumari AM, Piochon C, Tomkiewicz C, et al. Neuroprotective effect of mifepristone involves neuron depolarization. FASEB J 2006; 20: 1377-1386.
- 18. Schurr A. Bench-to-bedside review: a possible resolution of the glucose paradox of cerebral ischemia. Crit Care 2002; 6: 330-334.
- 19. Nagaraja N, Andrade C, Sudha S, et al. Glucocorticoid mechanisms may contribute to ECT-induced retrograde amnesia. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2007; 190: 73-80.
- 20. Bitar MS. Co-administration of etomoxir and RU-486 mitigates insulin resistance in hepatic and muscular tissues of STZ-induced diabetic rats. Horm Metab Res 2001; 33: 577-584.
- 21. Miller TP, Taylor J, Rogerson S. Cognitive and noncognitive symptoms in dementia patients: relationship to cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone. Int Psychogeriatr 1998; 10: 85-96.
- 22. Chu J, Matthias D, Belanoff J, et al. Successful long-term treatment of refractory Cushing’s disease with high-dose mifepristone (RU 486). J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2001; 86: 3568-3573
- 23. Taylor J. New FDA orphan drugs: mifepristone, 1-deoxynojirimycin hydrochloride, cetuximab. Medscape Medical News [Internet] 2007; 20 Jul. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/560144 (accessed Oct 2007).
Online responses are no longer available. Please refer to our instructions for authors page for more information.
None identified.