Time course of serum testosterone and luteinizing hormone levels after cessation of long-term luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist treatment in patients with prostate cancer.
BACKGROUND
In order to elucidate the influence of hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) agonist therapy cessation on pituitary/testicular function and its clinical implications, we investigated prospectively hormonal (luteinizing hormone: LH; testosterone: T) responses in patients with prostate cancer who received long-term LH-RH 10 agonist therapy.


METHODS
A consecutive 32 patients who had received LH-RH agonist therapy over 24 months were enrolled. As a baseline, T and LH were measured at the time of LH-RH agonist therapy cessation, monthly for 3 months, and subsequently, every 3 months.


RESULTS
The median duration of LH-RH agonist therapy was 30 months (24-87 months) with median follow-up duration of 24 months following cessation. All patients had castrated T levels and suppressed LH levels at baseline. Median duration of castrated T levels following cessation was 6 months. Median time to normalization of T levels was 24 months. LH levels returned to normal within 3 months in all cases. Patients who received androgen deprivation therapy for 30 months or longer required a longer time for recovery of T levels. Patients over 65 years of age showed a statistically significant longer time for recovery of T levels (P=0.0167).


CONCLUSIONS
Long-term LH-RH agonist therapy has remarkable effects on serum T level that last for a significant time after cessation, a fact that should be applied to the interpretation of both PSA and serum T levels after cessation of androgen deprivation therapy.
Kaku
Haruki
H
Department of Urology, Okayama University, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
Saika
Takashi
T
Tsushima
Tomoyasu
T
Ebara
Shin
S
Senoh
Takashi
T
Yamato
Toyoko
T
Nasu
Yasutomo
Y
Kumon
Hiromi
H
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000819:agonists* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D013737:Testis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*
D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D013739:Testosterone; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone