A long term follow-up of patients with advanced prostatic cancer treated with buserelin

Thirty consecutive patients with newly diagnosed symptomatic, locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer were treated with intranasal buserelin, a long-acting analogue of gonadotrophin releasing hormone, in divided dosages of either 600, 1000 or 1200 micrograms daily. Suppression of testosterone occurred in 1 of 5 patients treated with 600 micrograms daily and in all of 25 patients receiving 1000 or 1200 micrograms regimens. Two of 5 patients treated with the 600 micrograms regimen and 23 of 25 patients receiving the higher dosage regimens showed subjective and objective evidence of response. Follow-up was from 1 to 31 months. During this period 11 patients have relapsed. The mean duration of remission was 16 months. Buserelin offers an effective alternative of equivalent efficacy to conventional treatments for prostatic cancer, without any significant side effects.