AUA: Intermittent Androgen Therapy for Prostate Cancer Rivals Continuous Use, with Fewer Hot Flashes

ANAHEIM, May 21 -- Intermittent androgen deprivation for advanced prostate cancer led to a similar rate of progression to androgen-independent disease compared with continuous therapy and caused fewer hot flashes, found randomized trial.

The two-year rate of progression to androgen independence was 8.3% for patients given intermittent therapy and 6% in those treated with continuous therapy, a difference that was not statistically significant. The median time to progression was about two years in both groups.

"The rate of patients with androgen-independent progression was low, and intermittent therapy was as effective as continuous regarding progression-free survival," said Ulf Tunn, M.D., of the Akademische Stadtische Kliniken Offenbach in Frankfurt, Germany. "With the intermittent androgen therapy, the number of days with specific side effects was significantly lower. In particular, the number of days without hot flashes was twice that of continuous therapy in the intermittent arm."

The findings came from a study involving 244 patients who had biochemical relapse (PSA ?1 ng/mL) following a radical prostatectomy. All patients received 11.25 mg of leuprolineacetate, and those whose PSA levels decreased to

Intermittent therapy was associated with a significant reduction in the number of days with hot flashes per quarter, an average of 23 versus 46 in the continuous group (P