Availability
Flutamide is marketed widely throughout the world, including in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Central and South America, East and Southeast Asia, India, and the Middle East. Research
Prostate cancer
The combination of an estrogen and flutamide as a form of combined androgen blockade for the treatment of prostate cancer has been researched. Enlarged prostate
Flutamide has been studied in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH; enlarged prostate) in men in several clinical studies. It has been found to reduce prostate volume by about 25%, which is comparable to the reduction achieved with the 5α-reductase inhibitor finasteride. Unfortunately, it has been associated with side effects in these studies including gynecomastia and breast tenderness (in about 50% of patients), gastrointestinal disturbances such as nausea, diarrhea, and flatulence, and hepatotoxicity, although sexual function including libido and erectile potency were maintained. Breast cancer
Flutamide was studied for the treatment of advanced breast cancer in two phase II clinical trials but was found to be ineffective. Out of a total of 47 patients, only three short-term responses occurred. However, the patients in the studies were selected irrespective of AR, ER, PR, or HER2 status, which were all unknown. Psychiatric disorders
Flutamide has been studied in the treatment of bulimia nervosa in women.Flutamide was found to be effective in the treatment of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) in men with comorbid Tourettes syndrome in one small randomized controlled trial. Conversely, it was ineffective in patients with OCD in another study.
Adding antiandrogens to orchiectomy showed no benefit, while a small benefit was shown with adding antiandrogens to GnRH analogues.Unfortunately, therapies which lower testosterone levels, such as orchiectomy or GnRH analogue administration, also have significant side effects. Compared to these therapies, treatment with antiandrogens exhibits "fewer hot flashes, less of an effect on libido, less muscle wasting, fewer personality changes, and less bone loss." However, antiandrogen therapy alone is less effective than surgery. Nevertheless, given the advanced age of many with prostate cancer, as well as other features, many men may choose antiandrogen therapy alone for a better quality of life.Flutamide has been found to be similarly effective in the treatment of prostate cancer to bicalutamide, although indications of inferior efficacy, including greater compensatory increases in testosterone levels and greater reductions in PSA levels with bicalutamide, were observed.