Incidence of liver toxicity associated with the use of flutamide in prostate cancer patients

In a study of 1,091 prostate cancer patients treated with flutamide and a LHRH agonist, only four patients (0.36%) experienced significant liver toxicity, with two (0.18%) developing clinical liver disease. The toxicity resolved upon discontinuation of flutamide. The majority of patients had no or only mild and transient liver enzyme elevations. The study concluded that flutamide-induced liver toxicity is rare and recommended monitoring liver function at the start of treatment and after 2 and 4 weeks to quickly identify and manage any potential liver injury.