The two most common drugs used for androgen deprivation therapy in North America are leuprolide, which is sold under the names of Lupron and Eligard, and goserelin, which is sold as Zoladex. Both drugs are synthetic hormones with similar molecular structure and biochemical functions. Both have been shown to be equally effective in suppressing testosterone production from the gonads.
But are there any other differences between the two drugs in terms of managing prostate cancer symptoms? This small study compared the urinary function of 24 patients on goserelin with that of 27 patients on leuprolide. Tumors in the prostate gland can press on the urethra and make it difficult for men to empty their bladder. The authors report that goserelin was slightly better in reducing the urinary symptoms, although the two populations were not identical at the outset and the disease status of the patients on leuprolide was slightly worse at the start. This is a study that might be worth redoing with a larger sample size.
For more information, please visit the link below:
http://www.urologyjournal.org/index.php/uj/article/view/4245
Yikilmaz, T. N., Ozturk, E., Hizli, F., Hamidi, N., & Basar, H. (2018). Effect of hormonal therapy for volume reduction, lower urinary tract symptom relief and voiding symptoms in prostate cancer: leuprolide vs goserelin. Urology Journal. [Epub ahead of print.] doi: 10.22037/uj.v0i0.4245