Patient compliance in treatment of prostate cancer with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist

Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist therapy is commonly used as a form of hormonal ablative therapy in patients with advanced prostate cancer. It is important to administer LHRH agonist every four weeks. Any delay of more than two weeks is associated with the risk of disease flare. A retrospective review of two groups of patients were compared. Twenty-five patients treated at the Veterans Administration Medical Center, Louisville, Kentucky, showed that 44 percent missed one or more injections and 24 percent had a delay of more than two weeks after the scheduled time for another injection. Twenty-three patients were treated by a private practice group in Louisville, Kentucky. There were no problems with compliance. An office nurse kept a separate register for patients receiving LHRH agonist therapy and their appointments. For LHRH therapy to be effective, we believe that the level of compliance one could expect from an individual should be determined before instituting LHRH agonist therapy. If good compliance is not assured, alternative forms of hormone ablative therapy may be preferable for patients with advanced prostate cancer.