Finasteride and tamsulosin used in benign prostatic hypertrophy: a review of the prescription-event monitoring data

Periprostatic fat thickness measured on MRI correlates with lower urinary tract symptoms, erectile function, and benign prostatic hyperplasia progression

This study investigated the correlation between periprostatic fat thickness (PPFT) measured on magnetic resonance imaging and lower urinary tract symptoms, erectile function, and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) progression. A total of 286 treatment-naive men diagnosed with BPH in our department between March 2017 and February 2019 were included. Patients were divided into two groups according to the median value of PPFT: high (PPFT >4.35 mm) PPFT group and low (PPFT <4.35 mm) PPFT group. After the initial evaluation, all patients received a combination drug treatment of tamsulosin and finasteride for 12 months. Of the 286 enrolled patients, 244 completed the drug treatment course. Patients with high PPFT had larger prostate volume (PV; P = 0.013), higher International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS; P = 0.008), and lower five-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) score (P = 0.002) than those with low PPFT. Both high and low PPFT groups showed significant improvements in PV, maximum flow rate, IPSS, and quality of life score and a decrease of IIEF-5 score after the combination drug treatment. The decrease of IIEF-5 score was more obvious in the high PPFT group than that in the low PPFT group. In addition, more patients in the high PPFT group underwent prostate surgery than those in the low PPFT group. Moreover, Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis indicated that PPFT was positively correlated with age, PV, and IPSS and negatively correlated with IIEF-5 score; however, body mass index was only negatively correlated with IIEF-5 score.

Tamsulosin modified release and oral controlled absorption system in the management of lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia

BACKGROUND

Tamsulosin MR has been on the market for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia (LUTS/BPH) for many years. Recently, tamsulosin OCAS was introduced, which has improved pharmacokinetics.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of tamsulosin.

METHODS

Literature was identified through a PubMed search using the term 'tamsulosin' and by screening reference lists of review articles.

RESULTS

Tamsulosin rapidly improves LUTS/BPH, with benefits maintained in the long-term. The overall tolerability of tamsulosin MR 0.4 mg is comparable to that of placebo. While the efficacy of tamsulosin OCAS and MR is comparable, tamsulosin OCAS is slightly better tolerated.

CONCLUSION

Tamsulosin OCAS 0.4 mg has a favourable efficacy/safety profile and should be considered the treatment of choice for patients requiring optimal symptom control without increasing the risk of cardiovascular adverse events.

Effects of ??1-Adrenoceptor Antagonists on Male Sexual Function

alpha(1)-Adrenoceptor antagonists such as alfuzosin, doxazosin, tamsulosin and terazosin are first-line agents for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), but are only second-line agents (doxazosin and terazosin only) for the treatment of arterial hypertension. Sexual function is complex and includes multiple domains such as sexual desire (libido), erectile function and ejaculatory function. Erectile and ejaculatory functions are frequently reduced in patients with BPH and can impact on their quality of life. Therefore, the treatment of BPH should aim to maintain or even restore sexual function.alpha(1)-Adrenoceptor antagonists lack major effects on sexual desire in placebo-controlled studies. Reports on erectile function are inconsistent, with both beneficial and adverse effects being reported, but impotence can occur in some patients without clear differences between drugs. Ejaculatory dysfunction during treatment may represent (relative) an ejaculation. It occurs more frequently with tamsulosin than with other drugs of this class, but the differences are not big enough to be consistently detectable in directly comparative studies. We propose that such differences between drugs should be weighed against differences in cardiovascular tolerability when choosing the optimal treatment for each patient.

INCIDENCE AND MANAGEMENT OF GYNECOMASTIA IN MEN TREATED FOR PROSTATE CANCER

PURPOSE

Gynecomastia is a potentially treatment limiting adverse event in men receiving hormone therapy for prostate cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In large, randomized, placebo controlled studies approximately 50% or more of patients with prostate cancer experienced gynecomastia due to multiple mechanisms. Although its severity was mostly reported as mild to moderate, gynecomastia was cited as the reason for most premature withdrawals from therapy. In patients with advanced forms of prostate cancer bilateral orchiectomy was associated with the lowest incidence of gynecomastia, followed by nonsteroidal antiandrogen therapy, diethylstilbestrol and estrogen in rank order.

RESULTS

It is important that gynecomastia is well managed in patients with prostate cancer who want to proceed with hormone therapy. Patients should be assessed for the likely etiology of gynecomastia and preventive therapy or treatment for established gynecomastia should be instituted. Prophylactic radiotherapy has been shown to decrease the incidence of hormone induced gynecomastia by more than 50%. An alternative course of action, which may be more convenient for the patient, is the prophylactic use of tamoxifen. Tamoxifen may also mitigate or resolve gynecomastia during its early or proliferative phase. In severe long-standing gynecomastia surgery is warranted since medical therapies are less likely to succeed. Aromatase inhibitors and 4-hydroxytamoxifen are investigational.

CONCLUSIONS

Gynecomastia is a significant problem in men undergoing hormonal therapy for prostate cancer. It requires prompt recognition, evaluation and management.

No risk of drug-associated liver injury with?1-adrenoreceptor blocking agents in men with BPH: results from an observational study using the GPRD

PURPOSE

To compare the risk of liver injury in men treated with alpha1-blockers against that in a similar non-exposed population.

METHODS

Using a study population registered on the UK General Practice Research Database (GPRD) we performed (a) a retrospective cohort analysis amongst men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) indicative of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) comparing the incidence of liver injury in men exposed to alpha1-blockers with the incidence in those not exposed, and (b) two nested case-control studies looking at risk factors associated with the development of liver injury compared with age- or practice-matched controls.

RESULTS

Amongst 45,851 men with LUTS/BPH, 9666 were exposed to an alpha1-blocker and 154 were identified with drug-induced/idiopathic liver injury. The crude incidence of liver injury in men with LUTS/BPH exposed to an alpha1-blocker was not statistically significantly different from that in the unexposed population (13.9 vs. 11.0 cases per 10,000 exposed years: incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.28 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.64, 2.31]). In the case-control analyses, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) of liver injury associated with exposure to alpha1-blockers compared with no use was not statistically significant (age-matched OR 0.92 [95%CI: 0.43, 1.97]; practice-matched OR 0.98 [95%CI: 0.45, 2.16]). Our analyses confirmed an association between liver injury and alcohol consumption as well as exposure to various classes of drugs known to be potentially hepatotoxic.

CONCLUSIONS

This study could not offer any evidence to support an association between exposure to alpha1-blockers and liver injury in men with LUTS/BPH.

Risk of acute pancreatitis in users of finasteride: a population-based case-control study

GOALS

To examine the risk of acute pancreatitis in > or = 60-year-old male users of finasteride in a case-control study from a population of 490,000 persons in North Jutland County, Denmark, from 1993 to 2000.

STUDY

We identified all men age 60 and over with incident acute pancreatitis from the County Hospital Discharge Registry in North Jutland, 1993 to 2000, and selected 10 age-matched controls per case from the Danish Civil Registration System based on incidence density sampling. All prescriptions for finasteride within 90 days prior to admission with acute pancreatitis were identified from the population-based North Jutland Prescription Database. Data on potential confounding factors were also extracted from registries. We used conditional logistic regression to estimate the relative risk of acute pancreatitis, adjusted for these potential confounders.

RESULTS

There were 302 men age 60 and older with incident acute pancreatitis, of whom 3 were exposed to finasteride, and 2994 controls, of whom 37 were exposed to finasteride. The crude odds ratio for having reimbursed prescriptions for finasteride was 0.8 (95% confidence interval, 0.2-2.6). After adjustment for alcohol-related diseases, gallstone disease, hyperlipidemia, hypercalcemia, and hyperparathyroidism, the odds ratio was slightly decreased to 0.5 (95% confidence interval, 0.1-2.5).

CONCLUSION

We did not find any increased risk of acute pancreatitis in users of finasteride.

Effect of terazosin on clinical benign prostatic hyperplasia in older adults

PURPOSE

The objective of this meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of terazosin versus placebo in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) was to evaluate the effect of terazosin on lower urinary tract symptoms.

BACKGROUND

BPH is common in older men; more than 90% of men aged 70 and older suffer from BPH. (1,2) BPH has substantial negative effect on quality of life, with symptoms that interfere with activities of daily living. (3) The symptoms of BPH are primarily due to bladder outlet obstruction and are caused by dynamic prostatic smooth muscle tone and static prostatic obstruction. (4,5) The smooth muscle tone is dependent on the degree of the alpha-1 adrenergic receptors present in the bladder neck, prostrate capsule, and prostrate gland. The blockade of alpha-1 receptors with drugs such as terazosin reduces bladder outlet obstruction by reducing the smooth muscle tone. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA SOURCES: Selected studies were all RCTs of terazosin with two primary end points, namely, changes in the peak urinary flow rates and urinary symptom scores from baseline. Nine studies were selected using a Medline search, the details of which were not provided. The studies were conducted in North America and Europe between 1992 and 1996. Two of the studies included unpublished data that were obtained from Abbott Laboratories, which is the manufacturer of terazosin (Hytrin). The company also provided data on the other seven studies.

DATA EXTRACTION

The meta-analysis did not provide details of the data abstraction process. Urinary symptom score was measured using two different tools: the Boyarsky Symptom Index (BSI) and American Urology Association Symptom Index (AUA-SI). The BSI was used in seven studies and AUA-SI in two studies. The authors calculated a common symptom score, based on the common items from both questionnaires, that had all but one item used in the AUA-SI. Questions from AUA-SI are scored on a 0 to 5 scale and those on BSI on a 0 to 3 scale. To adjust for this difference, the authors performed a nonlinear rescaling of the AUA-SI to adjust for these scoring differences.

MAIN RESULTS

The ages of the patients (N = 3,948) ranged from 62 to 66. The duration of the studies varied from 8 to 52 weeks. Four of the studies used fixed dosages, and the rest used titration-to-response doses. The effect of terazosin versus placebo on peak urinary flow rate was similar in all the studies. The estimated mean increase in peak urinary flow rate was 1.39 mL/s greater in men receiving terazosin than in those receiving placebo, and the improvements were observed within 8 weeks of therapy. However, the changes in the symptom scores varied across the studies. Patients treated with terazosin had an estimated 1.9-point reduction (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.6-2.3) in BSI and 3.5-point reduction (95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.8-4.1) in AUA-SI score from baseline. Improvements in scores were greater in studies that were conducted for longer duration.

CONCLUSIONS

The authors concluded that treatment with terazosin was associated with greater peak urinary flow rate and lower symptom score than treatment with placebo. There was no variability of efficacy of terazosin as a result of prostrate volume, and measurement of prostrate volume was not essential before initiation of therapy.

Tamsulosin: an update of its role in the management of lower urinary tract symptoms

Tamsulosin is a selective alpha1A- and alpha1D-adrenoceptor antagonist. These alpha1-receptors are predominant in the prostate, prostatic capsule, prostatic urethra and bladder. The relaxation of prostate and bladder smooth muscles may result in improvement in maximum urine flow (Qmax) and reduction of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Tamsulosin 0.4 and 0.8 mg/day in a modified-release formulation was significantly more effective than placebo in large (n >250) double-blind, randomised, multicentre, 12- to 13- week clinical trials in patients with LUTS. A greater increase in Qmax from baseline was seen in patients receiving tamsulosin 0.4 or 0.8 mg/day (1.4 to 1.79 ml/sec from a baseline of 9.46 to 10.7 ml/sec) than in placebo recipients (0.4 to 0.93 ml/sec from a baseline of 9.75 to 10.4 ml/sec); the between-group difference was significant in two of three studies. Tamsulosin 0.4 or 0.8 mg/day improved total Boyarsky symptom scores from baseline by a significantly greater extent (by 3.0 to 5.2 points from a baseline of 9.5 to 11.1 points) than placebo (1.9 to 3.2 points from a baseline of 9.3 to 11.0 points). In noncomparative extension studies, the improvement in efficacy parameters with tamsulosin treatment was maintained for up to 4 years. Tamsulosin is effective in patients with mild to severe LUTS, patients with diabetes mellitus or those aged > or = 65 years and does not interfere with the antihypertensive action of nifedipine, enalapril or atenolol. Tamsulosin 0.4 mg/day for 12 weeks and tamsulosin 0.2 mg/day for 4 weeks were as effective as alfuzosin 2.5mg three times daily and terazosin 2 mg/day, respectively, in improving Qmax and symptom scores in randomised comparative trials. With the exception of a numberically greater incidence of abnormal ejaculation, dizziness and rhinitis, the incidence of adverse events with tamsulosin 0.4 mg/day was similar to that seen with placebo in randomised, double-blind studies. The overall incidence of symptoms indicative of orthostasis was 1.4% with tamsulosin 0.4 or 0.8 mg/day treatment. Tamsulosin had less effect on blood pressure than alfuzosin or terazosin.

CONCLUSION

Tamsulosin, an alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonist, has a well established place in the treatment of LUTS and has a tolerability profile similar to that of placebo (apart from a higher incidence of abnormal ejaculation, dizziness and rhinitis). Comparative data have shown tamsulosin to be as effective as other alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonists at increasing Qmax and improving symptom scores. However, tamsulosin is unlikely to produce orthostatic hypotensive adverse effects or interfere with concomitant antihypertensive drug therapy. Therefore, tamsulosin is a useful therapeutic option in the management of patients with moderate to severe LUTS.