Chlormadinone acetate is effective for hot flush during androgen deprivation therapy.

PURPOSE

To investigate the clinical efficacy of low-dose chlormadinone acetate (CMA) in prostate cancer patients who suffer from hot flushes that is a major side effect of androgen deprivation therapy.

METHODS

Our study included 32 prostate cancer patients who had severe hot flush after undergoing hormone therapy for more than 3 months. The average age of the patients was 72.5 years. In the beginning, patients received CMA at 100 mg orally per day. We defined the hot flush as disappeared, improved, or not improved. In patients with disappeared or improved symptoms, we decreased CMA dose to 50 mg per day, and after we reevaluated the effect, we decreased CMA dose to 25 mg per day. When hot flush appeared again at 25 mg per day, we returned the dose of CMA to 50 mg per day. In cases with no change for more than two months, we canceled the treatment of CMA.

RESULTS

Hot flush disappeared in 17 patients, improved in 10 patients, and did not improve in 5 patients (reduction in 84% of hot flush patients). The median time to hot flush reduction was 1.16 months. The effect of CMA was maintained at 25 mg per day in 19 patients and at 50 mg per day in 8 patients. No patients had prostate-specific antigen failure in the treatment of CMA.

CONCLUSIONS

When hot flush appears during treatment with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist for prostate cancer, it seems that CMA can improve it immediately in most patients.