Effect of long-term estrogen treatment on liver function in patients with prostatic carcinoma

To evaluate the effect on liver function of therapy with massive doses of synthetic female sex hormones a study was performed on the alterations in levels of serum zinc turbidity test, bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase and glutamic pyruvic transaminase following antiandrogenic treatment with castration and synthetic female sex hormones in patients with prostatic carcinoma. Results included: 1) Irrespective or response to treatment the zinc turbidity test level tended to increase. 2) After 1 week of treatment some increase was observed in the alkaline phosphatase level and was more pronounced in poor response cases than in the fair ones. However, in general, no definite fluctuation was observed. 3) The bilirubin level tended to decrease in general but in poor response cases an early increase was observed. 4) The glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase level was significantly increased in the early phase and more pronounced in poor response cases than in the fair ones. 5) An increased glutamic pyruvic transaminase level was observed after 2 weeks of treatment but was not significant to the pre-treatment level and later returned to the neighborhood of the pre-treatment level. After 1 week of female sex hormone therapy many indices studied showed abnormality. However, except for a steady increase in the zinc turbidity test level no serious damage on liver functions evaluated was encountered during a year of massive dose therapy with female sex hormones.