[Fatal hepatic failure following hepatitis caused by flutamide: a case report]

A seventy-three year-old patient with prostate cancer underwent radical prostatectomy, followed by total androgen brocking therapy using flutamide and LH-RH agonist. As Hepatic dysfunction (GPT = 3.045 IU/l) was noticed by periodic blood analysis, flutamide was stopped and he was hospitalized immediately without any subjective symptoms. Ten days after the admission, he developed massive bleeding from duodenal ulcer, resulting in duodenal perforation. Following the emergency operation, plasma exchange therapy was repeated against serious hepatic dysfunction. However, he was dead of pneumonia two months after the admission. Autopsy revealed biliary congestion in a small liver, although it was not cirrhotic. In our patient, hepatic dysfunction was irreversible and prolonged. We strongly recommend to perform serial liver function test from the start of treatment with flutamide, especially during the initial three months. Flutamide should be stopped promptly it significant liver abnormalities are detected.