[Treatment of prostatic cancer with diethylstilboestrol and detection of the vascular risk (author's transl)]. / Traitement du cancer prostatique par le diethylstilboestrol. Détection du risque vasculaire.

A retrospective study of immunologic behavior of patients suffering from cancer of the prostate and treated with oestrogens permits the proposal of the utilisation of a test that separates a high thromboembolic risk population due to oestrogens from a population that can benefit from this hormonotherapy. The so-called "oestrogen tolerance test" consists of seeking the presence of immune complexes by the method of precipitation of serum by 25% saturated ammonium sulphate. The group of patients where precipitates exceeds 700 micrograms/ml has a thrombo-embolic risk above 30% (41% in our series with serious complications such as pulmonary embolus and arterial thrombosis. The group of patients where precipitates are less than 300 micrograms/ml has a lower risk of arterial thrombosis (2,5%) and the observed accidents are benign. Finally, a test test when precipitate exceed 700 micrograms/ml should exclude diethylstilboestrol treatment.