PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:
I. To determine the clinical benefit rate (complete response \[CR\] + partial response \[PR\] + stable disease \[SD\] \>= 6 months) of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) monotherapy and MPA + low dose oral cyclophosphamide and methotrexate (ldoCM) in patients with refractory hormone receptor negative metastatic breast cancer.
SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:
I. To evaluate the toxicity of MPA and MPA + ldoCM in this patient population. II. To explore the relationship between MPA trough level and clinical benefit. III. To explore genetic determinants of MPA bioavailability and trough concentration.
IV. To explore potential surrogates of biologic activity including Nm-23 expression in primary tumor, change in Nm-23 expression in skin, change in plasma thrombospondin (TSP)-1, change in plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1 antigen and activity.
OUTLINE: Patients are assigned to 1 of 2 treatment arms.
COHORT I: Patients receive MPA orally (PO) once daily (QD).
COHORT II: Patients receive MPA as in Cohort I, cyclophosphamide PO QD, and methotrexate PO twice daily (BID) on days 1 and 2 of every week.
In both arms, treatment continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
