A randomized study on hormone-resistant prostatic cancer: estramustine phosphate versus low dose epirubicin with or without medroxyprogesterone acetate. A Norwegian multicenter study.

A prospective randomized study has been carried out in order to compare three different treatment modalities for symptomatic metastatic hormone-resistant prostatic cancer. A total of 79 patients were included. One group was treated with estramustine phosphate, another with Epirubicin plus Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), while the third arm consisted of Epirubicin plus placebo. Best palliation was obtained by the combination of Epirubicin and MPA. This combination also seemed to be associated with the longest response duration.

Noninvasive evaluation of the enlarged prostate preliminary results.

The choice between a conventional endoscopic examination of the prostate and a noninvasive technique with ultrasound raises a basic question: Which method is most reliable and informative yet has an acceptable costbenefit ratio? One hundred patients selected on the basis of fixed criteria were examined by ultrasonography and so far 50 have been operated on. Pathologic conditions were observed in the upper urinary tract at ultrasonography in 18% of the cases. The method was found reliable as a basis for the choice between open prostatectomy and transurethral resection. Noninvasive examination of patients with an enlarged prostate is a reliable method in the preoperative evaluation. The method is convenient to the patient and no more time-consuming than cystoscopy. The capital investment in ultrasound is high, but the cost per examination low.