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Cost Comparison of Parenteral Estrogen and Conventional Hormonal Treatment in Patients With Prostatic Cancer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2009

Peter Henriksson  and
Reinhard Stege
Peter Henriksson
Affiliation:
Huddinge University Hospital and Karolinska Institute
Reinhard Stege
Affiliation:
Huddinge University Hospital
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Abstract

The present study compares the cost of antitumor therapy and adverse cardiovascular effects during the first year of treatment with oral estrogens, nonoral estrogens, or surgical castration in patients with prostatic cancer. We found a much higher cost for patients treated with orchidectomy and oral estrogens than for patients treated with nonoral estrogens. Twenty-five percent of the patients treated with oral estrogen suffered cardiovascular complications, compared to none of the patients treated by orchidectomy or nonoral estrogens. The initial cost of orchidectomy as compared to nonoral estrogen treatment was shown not to be balanced within the expected survival time of patients with advanced prostatic cancer. Furthermore, surgical castration causes psychological trauma to the patient. We recommend parenteral estrogen therapy as a low-cost therapeutic regimen in patients with prostatic cancer.

Type
General Essays
Information
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care , Volume 7 , Issue 2 , Spring 1991 , pp. 220 - 226
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

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