A successful treatment using gabapentin against hot flashes due to LH-RH agonist in a patient with advanced prostate cancer

TPS338 Background: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the mainstay of treatment for advanced prostate cancer. ADT not only lowers testosterone, but also decreases estrogen levels which can cause significant side effects including hot flashes, loss of bone and bone fractures, and decreases in libido. Up to 80% of the men on ADT report hot flashes and 30-40% of men have moderate to severe hot flashes. Concern over hot flashes make patients less likely to begin ADT and can lead to early discontinuation of ADT. While the off-label use of potent steroidal estrogens has demonstrated efficacy, the appropriate dose as well as dosing route or schedule of these potent estrogens, has not been established. Furthermore, the potential for safety issues with potent steroidal estrogens remains a significant limitation to their clinical utility. Zuclomiphene citrate, is novel weak nonsteroidal estrogenic agent that should ameliorate hot flashes caused by ADT, and as one of the isomers of clomiphene, has a 50 year safety history of being well tolerated in men. Methods: The Phase 2, placebo controlled, dose finding clinical trial (V72203) evaluating zuclomiphene citrate (VERU-944) capsules, oral daily dosing, for the treatment of moderate to severe hot flashes in men with prostate cancer on ADT is in progress. Men are randomized to daily doses of placebo or zuclomiphene 10mg, 50mg or 100mg. V72203 is enrolling approximately 36 men per arm in 10 sites in the United States. The primary efficacy endpoint is the mean change in frequency of moderate and/or severe hot flashes from baseline to week 4 and maintained until week 12. Secondary endpoints include changes from baseline in bone turnover markers, free and total testosterone, SHBG, PSA, and safety. Hot flashes are being measured in real time utilizing an electronic data capture device (ePRO) provided to each subject. We anticipate completion of enrollment by the end of 2018 with study results by second quarter of 2019. Clinical trial information: NCT03646162.

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Survey of ADT-induced estrogen deficiency-related side effects in a contemporary cohort of men with advanced prostate cancer.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2020.38.6_suppl.235 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 38 (6_suppl) ◽

pp. 235-235

Author(s):

Robert H. Getzenberg ◽

Mark C. Scholz ◽

Alexandra Scholz ◽

Mitchell S. Steiner

Keyword(s):

Prostate Cancer ◽

Side Effects ◽

Hormonal Therapy ◽

Advanced Prostate Cancer ◽

Treatment Options ◽

Hot Flashes ◽

Estrogen Deficiency ◽

Medical Need ◽

Clinically Significant ◽

The Impact

235 Background: Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) is a mainstay in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. ADT-induced estrogen deficiency related side effects may cause men to delay, pause, or discontinue ADT, increases morbidity and mortality, and can significantly impact quality of life. ADT-induced effects include hot flashes, bone loss and fractures, fatigue, decreased libido, and metabolic and lipid changes. Currently there are no FDA approved treatments for ADT-induced hot flashes in men with advanced prostate cancer. In this study, a survey was conducted on the impact of hot flashes, one of the hallmark ADT-induced estrogen deficiency effects, in a contemporary cohort. Methods: During the period of August/September 2019, 212 men with advanced prostate cancer on ADT participated in a digital survey conducted by the Prostate Cancer Research Institute (PCRI) focused on the frequency, severity and impact of their hot flashes. The men were at least 50 years of age with 61% being 70 or older. ADT types included LUPRONÒ(64%), ELIGARDÒ(12%), ZOLADEXÒ(7%) and other forms of hormonal therapy (17%). Results: Of the 212 men surveyed, 99% reported hot flashes with 80% indicating that they experience clinically significant, moderate to severe hot flashes. 77% of men reported that the number of hot flashes stayed the same or increased during their hormonal therapy. 37% of the men experienced more than 5 hot flashes per day and 23% indicated that they felt embarrassed about their hot flashes. Only 51% had either researched how to address their hot flashes or discussed them with their physician. Importantly, 16% considered halting ADT as a result of their hot flashes. Conclusions: This contemporary survey underscores the significant unmet medical need to treat moderate to severe hot flashes which occurred in 80% of the men studied. As about half of the men have not discussed their symptoms with a physician either because of embarrassment or lack of treatment options, the number of men with moderate to severe hot flashes appears to be greatly under-reported. As men on ADT are living longer with prostate cancer, finding an effective and safe treatment for debilitating hot flashes must be a priority.

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