Exploratory analysis on the effect of race on clinical outcome in patientswith advanced prostate cancer receiving bicalutamide or flutamide, each incombination with LHRH analogues

BACKGROUND. Black race has been associated with a significantly increased r isk of prostate cancer mortality. This exploratory analysis investigated th e effect of race on the clinical outcome of combined androgen blockade (CAB ). METHODS. Data for analysis were obtained from a double-blind, randomized, m ulticenter trial comparing CAB in the form of bicalutamide (50 mg once dail y) or flutamide (250 mg three times daily) plus luteinizing hormone-releasi ng hormone analogs (LHRHa; goserelin acetate 3.6 mg, or leuprolide acetate 7.5 mg) in 813 patients with stage D-2 prostate cancer (median follow-up, 1 60 weeks). Patients were analyzed according to race (African American [AA], white, or other). The primary clinical events were disease progression and survival. RESULTS. Four hundred and four patients received bicalutamide/LHRHa and 409 received flutamide/LHRHa. Although treatment with bicalutamide/LHRHa resul ted in slightly longer time to progression and survival time in white and A A males than treatment with flutamide/LHRHa, the differences between the tr eatment groups were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS. No marked effect of race on clinical outcome was observed rega rdless of antiandrogen, suggesting that similar treatment benefits are to b e expected in either race. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.