[Hormonal treatment of cancer of the prostate]

We set forth the results obtained after application of a hormonal protocol in prostate carcinoma (P.C.) on 257 patients controlled between June 1976 and June 1987, of whom we have selected 160 who fulfilled the following requirements: under 80 years old, confirmed anatomopathological diagnosis, state equal to or above the T1 of the Union International contre le Cancer (U.I.C.C.) classification, tolerance of treatment applied, clinical, analytical and complete, systematic iconographic follow up and minimum survival of more than one year. We treated those patients with localised P.C. (they have no demonstrable metastases), who in our series numbered 78 (78/160), with Diethylethylbestrol (D.E.S.) at an orally administered dose of 1 mgr. a day. In these the plasma testosterone dropped below 100 nanograms/l. in 57 cases (57/79). In this case metastases appeared in 22 cases (22/78). We treated those patients with metastatized P.C., who in our series numbered 59 (59/160), with orally administered Estramustine Phosphate (Estracyt) at a dose of 560 mgr. every 24 h. in two goes. In these the plasma testosterone dropped below 100 nanograms/l. in 50 cases (50/59). In this group the metastases disappeared in 7 patients, became stabilized in 30 and worsened in the other 22 patients. We carried out surgical orchiectomy on 49 patients (49/160): in 17 cases due to associate vascular pathology, in 13 cases for sociocultural reasons, in 5 cases because of advanced age and in 14 cases it was conducted on patients with a poor response to D.E.S.