A prospective comparison of treatments for symptomatic hot flushes following endocrine therapy for carcinoma of the prostate.

In a prospective, comparative study 68 men were treated for hot flushes after androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer. Complete responses (elimination of hot flushes) were rare in patients receiving either combined phenobarbital plus ergotamine or clonidine. Of the men receiving either diethylstilbestrol or megestrol acetate 70% had a complete response, while another 20% had a greater than 50% decrease in the severity of hot flushes. Based upon a lower incidence of side effects, oral megestrol acetate was the preferred treatment for hot flushes in this study.