Bicalutamide Kidney Function

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User

Posted 09 Sep 2022 at 17:23

I have been on bicalutamide for two months and it seems to be affecting my kidney function. My glomerular filtration rate has dropped from 99 to 76 to 59 to 55. (normal greater90-120) My creatinine has increased from 85 to 105 (normal 59-104).

Has anyone else had a kidney problem on bicalutamide?

Thanks, David

User

Posted 09 Sep 2022 at 18:45

Afraid I don't know, but watching with interest as Onco is putting me on it for 3 months

Edited by member 09 Sep 2022 at 18:56 | Reason: Not specified

Good luck to everyone coping with the insidious big C

User

Posted 09 Sep 2022 at 21:02

I haven't heard of this.

My kidney function isn't great - eGFR around 55 ever since my first ever blood test years before prostate cancer, but it hasn't ever got any worse, so no one has been concerned about it. Strangely, it increased to 60 while I was on Bicalutamide, but that's just about within the noise variation, so probably not significant.

This particular blood test is screwed up by either doing exercise in the previous 24h or eating lots of protein (maybe only animal protein?), both of which bump up your creatinine level, from which the eGFR is calculated. This is because stressing your own muscles results in creatinine breakdown products, and eating muscle similarly releases lots of creatinine as you digest it.

User

Posted 10 Sep 2022 at 14:19

Interesting coincidence- I have just had an out-of-the-blue appointment for a kidney function test.

I have been on Zoladex for a couple of years, and was on Bical as well from August 2021 until June this year, when I finally had my RT. Had a blood test in July, when the headline numbers for PSA and testosterone were good; but the onco obviously noticed that my GFR and creatinine numbers were abnormal (GFR down from 64 to 48, creatinine up from 102 to 131). Interesting that he didn't mention it to me at our review, but I did get a copy of his letter to the GP asking for a kidney ultrasound.

No idea yet if this is a blip ( I can't quite recall if I had done a run on the morning of the blood test) or a more persistent issue . I have no overt signs of a kidney problem.

User

Posted 10 Sep 2022 at 15:54

I'm seeing my gp this week and I'll post an update. I had a holep at the beginning of July in advance of PC treatment so this my have complicated things.

User

Posted 11 Sep 2022 at 08:28

Kidney problems are a known side-effect of bicalutimide. I had bicalutimide as a primary HT and, because I only have one kidney, I had frequent kidney function tests. Fortunately in my case it didn't cause me any kidney problems, but it certainly does for some people.

Best wishes,

Chris

User

Posted 16 Dec 2022 at 19:46

I have been on bicalutamide for five months and my filtration rate has fallen from 90 to 53. There is an excellent 2019 paper by Chang showing the likely mechanism: " Renal Damaging effects Elicited by Bicalutamide Therapy uncovered multiple action mechanism as evidenced by the cell model Scientific Reports vol 9 Article no 3392 (2019). There is also a slightly encouraging paper from japan showing it may be reversible when therapy is stopped. "Renal Function improves after discontinuation of ADT in Japanese Patients. Hiroshi Masada Anticancer research September 2021.

I'm waiting for my doctor's comments on the latest reading.

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