Clinical-Pharmacological Investigation of Cyproterone Acetate

(1) The antiandrogenic steroid cyproterone acetate exerted a strongly negative nitrogen balance in 8 young male volunteers, the degree of which correlated with the dose administered. In a male patient of 77 years with cancer of the prostate, this catabolic effect proved to be much weaker. In 8 female patients with hirsutism, administration of cyproterone acetate resulted only then in a negative nitrogen balance when the food was deficient in calories and protein. Continuous treatment with cyproterone acetate in female patients is not feasible because of strongly progestational side-effects. These side effects can be avoided by combining cyproterone acetate with ethinyl estradiol as an ‘inverted sequential scheme’, according to Hammerstein and Cupceancy [2]. In most female patients with hirsutism, good or satisfactory results can be obtained by a continuous cyproterone acetate therapy or by the combination treatment of Hammerstein and CUPCEANCY [2].