Cardiovascular side effects of diethylstilbestrol, cyproterone acetate, medroxyprogesterone acetate and estramustine phosphate used for the treatment of advanced prostatic cancer: results from European Organization for Research on Treatment of Cancer trials 30761 and 30762.

Two randomized trials were started in 1976 by the European Organization for Research on Treatment of Cancer urological group. Trial 30761 compared 1 mg. diethylstilbestrol orally 3 times daily to 250 mg. oral cyproterone acetate daily and to 500 mg. medroxyprogesterone acetate intramuscularly 3 times weekly for 8 weeks, then 200 mg. orally daily. Trial 30762 compared 3 mg. diethylstilbestrol to 560 mg. estramustine phosphate orally for 8 weeks and then 280 mg. daily. The 239 patients in study 30761 and 226 in study 30762 were evaluated for cardiovascular toxicity during treatment. Various types of side effects (fluid retention, hypertension, electrocardiographic changes, myocardial infarction and thromboembolic disease) and their degrees of severity were analyzed. In both studies the most frequent type of cardiovascular toxicity was represented by fluid retention. Cardiovascular toxicity as a whole was higher with diethylstilbestrol than with estramustine phosphate or medroxyprogesterone acetate therapy, and was the lowest with cyproterone acetate therapy. The risk of severe cardiovascular complications developing was the highest during the first 6 months of treatment. Increasing age, body weight greater than 75 kg. and, especially, the presence of previous cardiovascular disease represented adverse factors in the development of cardiovascular toxicity.