[Treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer with estramustine phosphate]

Twenty-one patients with hormone refractory prostate cancer were treated with oral estramustine phosphate, 600 mg/day, and the response was monitored through serial dosages of prostatic specific antigen (PSA). Patients showed biological response (67%) and clinical response (43%). The duration of the biological response was 6 months in 50% cases and over 12 months in 18%. Survival was higher for responders than non responders. It is concluded that estramustine phosphate is effective in this type of therapy and that PSA allows to measure the type of response and its duration.