Thomas E. Keane, MD, presented “The PRONOUNCE Trial: The Cardiovascular Safety of Degarelix vs. Leuprolide” for the Grand Rounds in Urology audience in November 2021.
How to cite: Keene, Thomas E. “The PRONOUNCE Trial: The Cardiovascular Safety of Degarelix vs. Leuprolide.” November 2021. Accessed Jul 2024. https://grandroundsinurology.com/the-pronounce-trial-the-cardiovascular-safety-of-degarelix-vs-leuprolide/
The PRONOUNCE Trial: The Cardiovascular Safety of Degarelix vs. Leuprolide
Thomas E. Keane, MD, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Urology at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, summarizes the design and results of the PRONOUNCE trial on the cardiovascular safety of degarelix versus leuprolide in patients with advanced prostate cancer. The PRONOUNCE trial looked at whether there was a difference in adverse cardiovascular effects between patients treated with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist (degarelix) and a GnRH agonist (leuprolide). Dr. Keane says that he believes that the different mechanisms of action of the two kinds of drugs logically seem to favor the GnRH antagonist as less likely to cause cardiovascular complications, although he notes that this remains a contentious topic. He observes that while the PRONOUNCE did find some advantage to degarelix over leuprolide, it was significantly less in this trial compared to others that have compared agonists and antagonists, including the HERO trial. Dr. Keane suggests this may be due to the fact that all patients in the PRONOUNCE trial were under the supervision of a cardiologist for the duration of the trial. He concludes that, although PRONOUNCE was a prospective trial that was cut short and only included 545 out of 900 planned patients, its results are suggestive and will hopefully help lead to further research.
For more on cutting-edge treatments for advanced prostate cancer, check out the collection page for the 31st International Prostate Cancer Update, held in Snowbird, Utah, in July 2021.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Thomas E. Keane, MD, is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Urology at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Dr. Keane specializes in managing prostate, bladder, and renal cancers.
An avid researcher, Dr. Keane has served as principal investigator or co-investigator on more than 20 major clinical and preclinical studies. Much of his work focuses on innovative concepts in translational research, including utilizing human tumor xenografts to investigate the efficacy of new therapies as they relate to GU malignancies with particular reference to cytotoxic agents, sphingolipids, and boron-containing compounds. He holds a United States patent for sphingolipid derivatives and their use.
Dr. Keane’s research has led to publication of more than 100 articles peer-reviewed in such journals as The Journal of Urology, Urologic Oncology, and the Journal of Vascular Surgery. He provides editorial services to publications ranging from Urology to the International Journal of Cancer and is co-editor of the text Glenn’s Urologic Surgery, 6th, 7th, and 8th Editions. He is an accomplished speaker, having delivered many presentations to professional societies and symposia throughout the United States and abroad.
