Volume 9, Number 4Review ArticlesEstrogenic Side Effects of Androgen Deprivation TherapyTreatment UpdateMichael S CooksonJames A EasthamTheresa A GuiseMichael G OefeleinMatthew R SmithCelestia HiganoAndrogen deprivation therapy (ADT) is part of standard therapy for locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer and is frequently used in men with a rising prostate-specific antigen following radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy. In some men, ADT may be administered for years or even decades. The intended therapeutic effect of ADT is testosterone deficiency. Because estrogen is a normal metabolite of testosterone, ADT also results in estrogen deficiency. ADT has a variety of adverse effects, many of which are primarily related to estrogen deficiency. Bone mineral density may decrease by 4% to 13% per year in men receiving ADT. The fracture rate for patients on ADT averages 5% to 8% per year of therapy. Hot flashes, gynecomastia, and breast tenderness are common side effects associated with ADT. In the clinic, minimum baseline testing should include weight measurement, blood pressure reading, and fasting lipid panel and serum glucose tests. Currently, there are no large outcome trials in men on ADT testing the available therapies for adverse effects. No therapies are specifically approved for treatment of adverse effects in men on ADT. Although some therapies can be used for a single indication (based upon small studies), there is currently no agent to treat the multiple estrogenic side effects of ADT. [Rev Urol. 2007;9(4):163-180]Androgen deprivation therapyCardiovascular diseaseGynecomastiaOsteoporosis fractureMale hot flashes
Volume 10, Number 4Review ArticlesBacillus Calmette-Guérin Failures and Beyond: Contemporary Management of Non–Muscle-Invasive Bladder CancerManagement ReviewMichael S CooksonRichard E GreenbergH Barton GrossmanThomas E KeaneMichael A O'DonnellIn the United States, bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the treatment most used for superficial bladder cancer. Patients with carcinoma in situ (CIS) treated with intravesical BCG plus interferon have a 60% to 70% chance of a complete and durable response if they were never treated with BCG or if they failed only 1 prior induction or relapsed more than a year from induction. Intravesical gemcitabine is safe, but its usefulness for BCG-refractory patients is unclear. Valrubicin, approved for intravesical treatment of BCGrefractory CIS of the bladder, has efficacy and acceptable toxicity. Cystectomy should be considered in high-risk, non–muscle-invasive cancer, particularly if intravesical therapy failed. [Rev Urol. 2008;10(4):281-289]Bacillus Calmette-GuérinBladder cancerCystectomyGemcitabine