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ROLE OF DEGARELIX (FIRMAGON) IN THE TREATMENT OF DISSEMINATED PROSTATE CANCER: CAN THE QUALITY OF CASTRATION THERAPY BE IMPROVED?
- Authors: Matveev V.B.1, Volkova M.I.1
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Affiliations:
- Department of Urology, N.N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow
- Issue: Vol 7, No 1 (2011)
- Pages: 66-72
- Section: PROSTATE CANCER
- Published: 30.03.2011
- URL: https://oncourology.abvpress.ru/oncur/article/view/107
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.17650/1726-9776-2011-7-1-66-72
- ID: 107
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Abstract
Degarelix (Firmagon) (Ferring Pharmaceuticals) is a new gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist permitted and approved for use in the treatment of hormone-dependent prostate cancer. It is recommended to administer the drug subcutaneously in the abdomen in a starting dose of 240 mg, followed by monthly maintenance doses of 80 mg. The Phase III randomized trial demonstrated that degarelix had advantages over the GnRH agonist leuprorelin in the reduction rates for testosterone to castration levels and for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and in the absence of the initial increase and variations of androgen concentrations during treatment. A one-year follow-up showed that the risk of PSA recurrence and death with leuprorelin was significantly higher than that with degarelix. There was a significant reduction in the risk of PSA recurrence in patients switched from leuproprorelin to degarelix. The rates of adverse reactions and treatment discontinuation in the degarelix treatment group do not differ from that in the leuprorelin group. Long-term follow-up studies are required to draw final conclusions.
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About the authors
V. B. Matveev
Department of Urology, N.N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow
Email: mivolkova@rambler.ru
Russian Federation
M. I. Volkova
Department of Urology, N.N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow
Author for correspondence.
Email: mivolkova@rambler.ru
Russian Federation
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