Flutamide as a preoperative treatment in juvenile angiofibroma (JA) with intracranial invasion:: Report of 7 cases

OBJECTIVE. To determine the efficacy of flutamide as a tumor reduction factor in patients who have juvenile angiofibroma (JA) with intracranial invasion. DESIGN: A longitudinal, prospective, experimental, self-controlled pilot study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seven consecutive patients with JA were enrolled in the study. CT scan with measurements of the tumor was performed before and after the treatment with flutamide, and the results were compared. RESULTS: The biggest reduction in tumor size was 11.1%. All patients underwent surgical resection, and the bleeding was similar to patients without flutamide. No statistically significant difference was found between the measurements before and after the flutamide administration. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the fact that there is a report of the efficacy of flutamide in the literature, we did not find advantages in using it in patients with JA. However, and due to the very small number of patients enrolled, we think that more studies are required.