Combined treatment with vitamin E and colchicine in the early stages of Peyronie's disease

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of the combination of colchicine and vitamin E (which has anti-fibrotic, anti-mitotic and anti-inflammatory effects) in modifying the early stages of Peyronie's disease, by evaluating pain relief, correction of deformities and plaque size.

Patients and methods: In all, 45 patients were divided into two groups and treated from January 1998 to November 2001. Their mean (range) age was 53.4 (40-62) years, the time from onset of the disease < 6 months and they had penile deformity of < 30 degrees; no patient had erectile dysfunction. Twenty-two patients were given ibuprofen 400 mg/day for 6 months, whilst 23 received a combination of vitamin E 600 mg/day plus colchicine 1 mg every 12 h. Pain, plaque size and penile deformity were assessed at 6 months.

Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the groups at baseline in age, time from onset of the disease until the initial evaluation or plaque size. Although the proportion of patients reporting pain relief was higher amongst those receiving colchicine plus vitamin E (91% vs 68%) this was not significantly different, but differences in plaque size and penile curvature were significant.

Conclusions: The use of colchicine plus vitamin E during the early stages of Peyronie's disease (time from onset < 6 months) in patients with penile curvature of < 30 degrees and no erectile dysfunction is an effective and well-tolerated way to stabilize the disease. A more extensive study is needed, comparing these results with other oral therapies.