BERKELEY, CA (UroToday.com) - The aim of this review was to describe the most recent data from contemporary clinical trials of diethylstilbestrol ( DES) to better determine its current role in advanced prostate cancer treatment as new hormonal therapies emerge.
Relevant clinical studies using 1 mg of DES in castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) were identified from the literature, clinical trial databases, websites and conference abstracts. 
The efficacy and safety outcomes were summarized. DES in CRPC produced a biological response (change in PSA level) and improved the median survival of patients when used as a second-line hormone therapy after standard androgen deprivation with bicalutamide and LHRH analogues. These findings were for low doses of DES. The 1-mg dose is associated with a reduced toxicity, including fewer thromboembolic and cardiovascular events. Low-dose DES appears to be safe and effective for CRPC before initiating chemotherapy. The cost/efficiency ratio may encourage physicians to consider DES as a therapy option before chemotherapy in non-symptomatic CRPC...View or save the full text Mini Review as a .pdf file
| What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Diethylstilbestrol (DES) has been found to have anti-tumour properties and clinical effectiveness in prostate cancer that is resistant to the fi rst-line hormonal therapy. This review found that low-dose DES has anti-tumour effi cacy with limited cardiovascular side effects and should be considered for secondary hormone manoeuvres. |
Pierre-Olivier Bosset, Laurence Albiges,** Thomas Seisen, Thibault de la Motte Rouge,* Véronique Phé, Marc-Olivier Bitker, and Morgan Rouprêt
Urology Academic Department of la Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Assistance Publique- Hôpitaux de Paris, Faculté de Médecine Pierre et Marie Curie, University Paris VI, Paris, *Department of Medical Oncology, Centre de Lutte contre le Cancer (CLCC), and **Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris XI, Villejuif, France
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