Endocrine and clinical evaluation of 107 patients with advanced prostatic carcinoma under long-term pernasal buserelin or intramuscular decapeptyl depot treatment.

Three major assumptions emerged from these clinical and endocrine long-term studies. First, buserelin, given pernasally in the conventional doses, and Decapeptyl microcapsules administered intramuscularly in 5-week intervals are equally effective in terms of their long-term castration effect in previously untreated patients with prostatic carcinoma. However, Decapeptyl causes complete LH and subsequent testosterone down-regulation 1 week earlier than buserelin. Furthermore, this treatment is more convenient, and the compliance is better. Both LHRH analogues are equally well tolerated. Second, in groups of prostate cancer patients with far advanced disease treated with palliative intention, only true subjective or objective remission should be considered a positive treatment response. Third, our results comparing PAP and PSA as the two most useful tumor markers with the corresponding testosterone levels suggest a close correlation.