Magnesium Oxide in Treating Hot Flashes in Menopausal Women With Cancer

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

• To determine if magnesium oxide supplement will decrease the frequency and severity of hot flashes by 50% in menopausal women with cancer.

Secondary

• To evaluate the effect of magnesium oxide on overall quality of life.
• To evaluate the toxicities of magnesium oxide when administered at commonly used supplement doses.

OUTLINE: Patients receive oral magnesium oxide once daily in weeks 2-5. Patients whose hot flashes are not satisfactorily controlled after 2 weeks of treatment may receive magnesium oxide twice daily in weeks 4 and 5.

Patients complete a daily hot flash diary for 5 weeks beginning 1 week before treatment. Patients also complete quality-of-life, symptom, and self-assessment questionnaires at baseline, once weekly during treatment, and at the completion of treatment.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up for at least 30 days.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Meets 1 of the following criteria:

• History of breast cancer (currently without malignant disease)
• No history of breast cancer but wishes to avoid estrogen due to a perceived increased risk of breast cancer
• Must have bothersome hot flashes (defined by their occurrence of ≥ 14 times per week and of sufficient severity to make the patient desire therapeutic intervention) for ≥ 1 month before study entry
• Has undergone treatment for cancer (patients other than breast cancer survivors are eligible)

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-2
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• Creatinine clearance ≥ 30 mL/min
• No hypersensitivity to magnesium oxide
• No medical or other condition(s) that, in the opinion of the investigator/sub-investigator, may compromise the objectives of the study

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics
• More than 4 weeks since prior and no concurrent antineoplastic chemotherapy, androgens, estrogens, progestational agents, or gabapentin
• More than 28 days since prior and no other concurrent investigational drugs
• Concurrent tamoxifen, raloxifene, or aromatase inhibitors allowed provided patient has been on a constant dose for > 4 weeks AND is not expected to stop the medication during the study period