[The effect of mesterolone in panmyelopathic anemia and anemia of renal failure].

A controlled randomized multicenter trial was carried out to examine the therapeutic value of the androgen mesterolone in aplastic anemia and anemia of renal failure. the drug was given in a dose of 2 mg/kg orally for 6 months. Control patients received no androgens but were otherwise similarily treated. 31 patients with aplastic anemia could be evaluated. No significant difference was found between androgen treated control cases in respect to bone marrow cellularity, improvement of peripheral blood cell counts or survival. In a group of 14 patients not being hemodialyzed with anemia from renal failure, 3 of the androgen treated and none of the control patients showed progressive and significant improvement of erythropoiesis; however, this was not a statistically significant difference when the both groups of patients were compared. The results do not suggest that the androgen mesterolone is of therapeutic value in the majority of adult patients with aplastic anemia. Possible reasons of the discrepancy to positive results reported in the literature are discussed.