title: Efficacy of maximal androgen blockade versus castration alone in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer: a retrospective clinical experience from a Chinese medical centre.
abstract: In this retrospective study, we evaluated and compared the efficacy and toxicities of maximal androgen blockade (MAB) versus castration alone in Chinese patients with advanced prostate cancer. From 1996 to 2004, 608 patients with advanced prostate cancer were included in the study. Patients were retrospectively divided into two groups according to different therapeutic regimens. Of the 608 patients, 300 patients were treated with MAB (castration plus nonsteroidal antiandrogens) and the remaining 308 were treated with castration alone. The 2- and 5-year overall survival rates of these patients were 73.7% and 56%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that, in patients with metastatic prostate cancer, MAB was associated with not only the improvement of progression-free survival (PFS) (increased by 10 months) but also a 20.6% reduction in mortality risk compared with castration alone. In contrast, the efficacy of MAB was not superior to castration alone for patients with nonmetastatic prostate cancer. Interestingly, among patients with MAB, those using bicalutamide had a longer PFS than those using flutamide; this was especially so in patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Almost all of the toxicities due to the hormone therapy were mild to moderate and manageable. To conclude, in China, hormone therapies, including MAB and castration alone, have been standard treatments for advanced prostate cancer. For patients with nonmetastatic prostate cancer, castration alone might be adequately practical and efficient. In patients with metastatic prostate cancer, however, MAB has superior efficacy over castration alone. It is clear that MAB should be considered the first-line standard treatment for patients with metastatic prostate cancer.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory and Department of Pathology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
authors.forename: Xue-Qin
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Ni
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Yu-Chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Yu-Ru
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000726:Androgen Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000813:Anilides / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002681:China; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005485:Flutamide / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009570:Nitriles / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009919:Orchiectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014105:Tosyl Compounds / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000726:Androgen Antagonists; D000813:Anilides; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D009570:Nitriles; D014105:Tosyl Compounds; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D005485:Flutamide; C053541:bicalutamide