Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Research
  • Published:

Therapeutic effects of colchicine in the management of Peyronie's disease: a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study

International Journal of Impotence Research volume 16, pages 238–243 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

To determine effectiveness and safety of colchicine in Peyronie's disease. In all, 84 patients with Peyronie's disease who did not have calcified plaque were entered into study. The mean disease duration was 15 months. A medical history was obtained, and physical examination, penile X-ray, and dynamic penile duplex ultrasound were performed. Patients were randomly divided into group 1, those who received 0.5–2.5 mg colchicine daily for 4 months and group 2, who received placebo for the same period. Response to therapy was assessed objectively, during dynamic penile duplex ultrasound, as well as subjectively using International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire and measurements of pain, duration of disease, penile curvature, and plaque size. Differences before and after treatment and among the three Kelami classification groups were assessed. In total, 78 (92.8%) completed the whole treatment schedule. Pain resolved in 60 and 63.6% of the patients treated with colchicine and placebo, respectively (P>0.05). After therapy, in subjects and controls a reduction in the penile deformity was observed by 17.1 and 18.4% of the patients (P>0.05), and a decrease in plaque size was noticed by 10.5 and 10%, respectively (P>0.05). Objective measurements did not demonstrate any difference in plaque size or penile curvature. There were no substantial differences in response to treatment based on duration of disease or within the three Kelami classification groups. Significant drug-related adverse effects occurred in colchicine group and in two cases was treatment discontinued. Colchicine is no better than placebo in improvement of pain, curvature angle, or plaque size in patients with Peyronie's disease.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Levine LA . Treatment of Peyronie's disease with intralesional verapamil injection. J Urol 1997; 158: 1395–1401.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Carson CC . Potassium para-aminobenzoate for the treatment of Peyronie's disease: is it effective? Tech Urol 1997; 3: 135–140.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Gelbard MK, Dorey F, James K . The natural history of Peyronie's disease. J Urol 1990; 144: 1376–1381.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Ralph DJ, Brooks MD, Bottazzo GF, Pyror JP . The treatment of Peyronie's disease with tamoxifen. Br J Urol 1992; 70: 648–653.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Morgan RJ, Pryor JP . Procarbazine (Natulan) in the treatment of Peyronie's disease. Br J Urol 1978; 50: 111–116.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Akkus E et al. Is colchicine effective in Peyronie's disease? A pilot study. Urology 1994; 44: 291–296.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Winter CC, Khanna R . Peyronie's disease: results with dermo-jet injection of dexamethasone. J Urol 1975; 114: 898–903.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Gelbard MK, James K, Riach P, Dorey F . Collagenase versus placebo in the treatment of Peyronie's disease: a double-blind study. J Urol 1993; 149: 56–60.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Morales A, Bruce AW . The treatment of Peyronie's disease with parathyroid hormone. J Urol 1975; 114: 901–906.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Bartsch G, Menander-Huber KB, Marberger H . Orgotein, a new drug for the treatment of Peyronie's disease. Eur J Rheumatol Inflamm 1981; 4: 250–255.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Duncan MR, Berman B, Nseyo UO . Regulation of the proliferation and biosynthetic activities of cultured human Peyronie's disease fibroblast by interferons-alpha, -beta and -gamma. Scand J Urol Nephrol 1991; 25: 89–94.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Incrocci L, Hop W, Slob A . Current sexual functioning in 106 patients with Peyronie's disease treated with radiotherapy 9 years earlier. Urology 2000; 56: 1030–1033.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Hauck E et al. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy in the treatment of Peyronie's disease. Eur Urol 2000; 38: 663–670.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Frank IN, Scott WW . The ultrasonic treatment of Peyronie's disease. J Urol 1971; 106: 83–88.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. El-Sakka AI et al. The effect of surgical trauma on rat tunica albuginea. J Urol 1998; 159: 1700–1706.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Diegelmann RF, Peterkofsky B . Inhibition of collagen secretion from bone and cultured fibroblast by microtubular disruptive drugs. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1972; 69: 892–898.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Rosen RC et al. The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF): a multidimensional scale for assessment of Erectile dysfunction. Urology 1997; 49: 620–625.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Kelami A . Classification of congenital and acquired penile deviation. Urol Int 1983; 38: 822–826.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Steward S, Malto M, Sandberg L, Colburn KK . Increase serum level of anti-elastin antibodies in patients with Peyronie's disease. J Urol 1994; 152: 105–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Somers KD et al. Isolation and characterization of collagen in Peyronie's disease. J Urol 1989; 141: 629–634.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Border WA, Ruoslahti E . Transforming growth factor beta in disease: the dark side of tissue repair. J Clin Invest 1992; 90: 1–7.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Taylor AC . The mechanism of colchicine inhibition of mitosis. I. Kinetics of inhibition and the binding of H3-colchicine. J Cell Biol 1965; 25: 145–150.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Tilney LG, Hiramoto Y, Marsland D . Studies on the microtubules in heliozoa. J Cell Biol 1966; 29: 77–82.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Ehrilich HP, Bornstein P . Microtubules in transcellular movement of procollagen. Nature (New Biol) 1972; 238: 257–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. El-Sakka AI et al. The effects of colchicine on a Peyronie's-like condition in an animal model. J Urol 1999; 161: 1980–1983.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Kadioglu A et al. Treatment of Peyronie's disease with oral colchicine: long term results and predictive parameters of successful outcome. Int J Impot Res 2000; 12: 169–175.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Claudio T et al. Tamoxifen versus placebo in the treatment of Peyronie's disease. J Urol 1999; 162: 2003–2008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Levine LA, Goldman KE, Greenfield JM . Experience with intraplaque injection of verapamil for Peyronie's disease. J Urol 2002; 168: 621–626.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Husain J et al. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy in the management of Peyronie's disease. Br J Urol 2000; 68: 466–468.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Williams J, Thomas GG . The natural history of Peyronie's disease. J Urol 1970; 73: 75–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Kadioglu A . Lessons learned from 307 men with Peyronie's disease. J Urol Suppl 2001; 165: 202, abstract 838.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, Medicine Faculty, Military University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    M R Safarinejad

Authors
  1. M R Safarinejad
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M R Safarinejad.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Safarinejad, M. Therapeutic effects of colchicine in the management of Peyronie's disease: a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Int J Impot Res 16, 238–243 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijir.3901185

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijir.3901185

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links