FRENCH MULTICENTER TRIAL COMPARING CASODEX (ICI-176,334) MONOTHERAPY WITH CASTRATION PLUS NILUTAMIDE IN METASTATIC PROSTATE-CANCER - A PRELIMINARY-REPORT

This trial compares Casodex (ICI 176,334) monotherapy with the combina tion of castration (medical or surgical) plus nilutamide. The trial is now closed to entry, 270 patients having been recruited from 32 Frenc h centres. As it is too early to present efficacy data, only patient c haracteristics and interim tolerability data appear in this paper. In the combined treatment group, interstitial pneumonitis (4.5%) was obse rved, leading to withdrawal from the trial. Other adverse events leadi ng to withdrawal included dyspnoea and ocular problems. There was also 1 case of hepatitis in this treatment group. In the Casodex treatment group, only 6 patients (as compared with 13 in the combined treatment group) withdrew from the trial because of adverse events. As expected with this group, the adverse events were mainly pharmacological effec ts of an anti-androgen as monotherapy. In the majority of patients, th e effects of gynaecomastia and breast tenderness did not result in wit hdrawal.