Treatment of Metastatic Prostate Carcinoma With the Depot LRH Analog Zoladex

Abstract

A long-acting LRH agonist (ICI 118630, Zoladex) was given by monthly subcutaneous injection to 25 patients with previously untreated symptomatic advanced prostatic carcinoma. The medication was well tolerated with the only side effect being hot flushes in 15 patients. Subjective improvement occurred in 22 patients, and disease remission or stabilization judged by objective criteria was seen in 21 and 18 patients from the total group at 3 and 6 months of treatment, respectively. Twelve of 18 patients followed for 1 year were still in objective remissiodstabilization. Prostate volume measured by ultrasound decreased by a mean value of 75% and urine flow increased signiticantly. There were significant falls in serum testosterone and gonadotrophin levels and significant although lesser reductions in serum androstenedione and dehydroepiandrosterone. These changes were accompanied by significant reductions in serum acid and alkaline phosphatase and a rise in serum osteocalcin. Four patients (16%) experienced an initial tumor flare.. Although only a small number of patients were studied, Zoladex appeared to be a well-tolerated agent for treatment of prostatic carcinoma, with an initial clinical response similar to that seen with standard endocrine therapy. free of side effects [ 5 ] , the need for daily injection of these agents has limited their

Suppression of plasma testosterone and prostate carcinoma size by a redox‐based, brain‐targeted estrogen delivery system in the rat

“…Prostate carcinoma has become the most frequent cancer of men, with a predicted incidence of 110,000 new cases in 1990 in the United States alone; 30,000 of them are expected to die from this disease during the same period [ [14][15][16], or antiandrogens [ 171 have been used for the treatment of prostatic diseases in both humans and animals. The principle underlying these diverse treatments is to induce an effective androgen deprivation which consequently causes regression in prostate tumors.…”