Medical treatment modalities for lower urinary tract symptoms: what are the relevant differences in randomised controlled trials?

OBJECTIVES

Relevant differences in efficacy and tolerability will be reviewed among medical treatment modalities for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) suggestive of benign prostatic obstruction (BPO). Available data on the long-term effectiveness of these treatments will be also discussed.

METHODS

Information reviewed here comes mainly from published scientific articles and abstracts describing direct comparative trials among alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonists, finasteride, and/or phytotherapy.

RESULTS

Direct comparative trials demonstrated alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonists to be more effective than finasteride in improving symptoms and increasing urinary flow. Moreover, finasteride did not perform better than placebo in those studies that included a placebo arm. While finasteride treatment appears more beneficial in patients with an enlarged prostate volume (>50 ml), the efficacy of alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonists is not related to prostate size. To study the efficacy of plant extracts, adequately performed placebo-controlled and direct comparative trials are needed. Medical treatment modalities generally have a low incidence of adverse events. Regarding long-term effectiveness of medical treatment, the few available data show that finasteride can reduce the risk of acute urinary retention (AUR) and surgery. Short-term, direct comparative studies suggest that, like finasteride, alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonists have a comparable positive effect on disease progression.

CONCLUSION

More comparative information is needed on the long-term efficacy, tolerability, and effectiveness of medical treatments for LUTS. Information on disease progression (i.e., long-term complications related to BPO) and treatment outcomes (i.e., switch to other therapy or surgery) is necessary because such information directly effects a treatment's cost-effectiveness.