Subcapsular orchidectomy in the management of prostatic carcinoma in Nigerians

Thirty patients with advanced prostatic carcinoma were treated by subcapsular orchidectomy at the urology unit of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Post orchidectomy plasma testosterone levels measured at 3 and 6 months were low in all patients with a mean of 44 ng/100 mls +/- S.D. 21 compared to levels in the control group of 10 untreated prostatic cancer patients with a mean of 526 ng/100 mls +/- S.D. 109; the difference being highly significant (P greater than 0.001). Subcapsular orchidectomy was effective in the treatment of 28(93.3%) of the 30 prostatic cancer patients as assessed by diminution in the size of primary tumours per rectum, improvement of urinary symptoms and reduction of skeletal metastases radiologically. None of the patients showed the undesirable side effects of prolonged oestrogen therapy and psychological trauma of total orchidectomy. These results indicate that subcapsular orchidectomy is effective in the treatment of advanced prostatic cancer in this locality.