# Leuprolide (leuprorelin) and GnRH agonists

Source: https://onco.cc/drugs/leuprolide/  
OnCo record `leuprolide` (Treatment). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Leuprolide is the injectable that shuts off testosterone production, the foundation of hormone therapy for prostate cancer since the 1980s; it is also used for ovarian suppression in premenopausal breast cancer.

## Summary

Approved 1985 as an alternative to orchiectomy or oestrogens; depot formulations (1-6 months) followed. Backbone of ADT combinations with abiraterone, enzalutamide, apalutamide, darolutamide and docetaxel. Testosterone flare (antiandrogen cover), cardiovascular and bone effects; oral relugolix (2020) and degarelix are antagonist alternatives without flare.

## Fields

- Kind: Treatment
- Status: approved
- Last checked: 2026-09-08
- Also known as: Leuprorelin; Leuprolide acetate; GnRH agonist
- Tags: gap-fill; generic
- Brand: Lupron / Eligard / Camcevi
- Modality: GnRH agonist depot
- Mechanism: Continuous GnRH receptor stimulation desensitises the pituitary, suppressing LH/FSH and hence testosterone (or oestrogen) to castrate levels after an initial flare.
- Approvals: US 1985: Palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer; US 1989: Depot formulation (Lupron Depot)

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leuprorelin
- Label (DailyMed): https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/search.cfm?labeltype=all&query=leuprolide

## Connected records

- cancers: [Biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/prostate-bcr/), [HR-positive / HER2-negative breast cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/breast-hr-positive/), [Localised prostate cancer, high and very high risk](https://onco.cc/cancers/prostate-high-risk/), [Localised prostate cancer, intermediate risk](https://onco.cc/cancers/prostate-intermediate-risk/), [Metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/prostate-mhspc/), [Prostate cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/prostate/), [Salivary duct carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/salivary-duct-carcinoma/)
- technologies: [Androgen deprivation & AR pathway inhibitors](https://onco.cc/technologies/androgen-deprivation/), [Bone loss caused by cancer treatment, and what rebuilds it](https://onco.cc/technologies/cancer-treatment-bone-loss/), [Endocrine therapy (SERMs, AIs, SERDs)](https://onco.cc/technologies/endocrine-therapy/), [Ovarian function after chemotherapy: who recovers, and when](https://onco.cc/technologies/ovarian-function-after-chemotherapy/)
- targets: [Androgen receptor](https://onco.cc/targets/androgen-receptor/), [GnRH receptor (GNRHR)](https://onco.cc/targets/gnrhr/)
- companies: [AbbVie (incl. ImmunoGen, Capstan)](https://onco.cc/companies/abbvie/), [Foresee Pharmaceuticals](https://onco.cc/companies/foresee-pharmaceuticals/), [Oakwood Laboratories](https://onco.cc/companies/oakwood-laboratories/), [Takeda](https://onco.cc/companies/takeda/), [Tolmar](https://onco.cc/companies/tolmar/)
- terms: [Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT)](https://onco.cc/terms/adt/), [Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC)](https://onco.cc/terms/castration-resistance/), [Intermittent androgen deprivation (IAD)](https://onco.cc/terms/intermittent-androgen-deprivation/), [Ovarian function suppression (OFS)](https://onco.cc/terms/ovarian-function-suppression/), [What androgen deprivation costs: the side of hormone therapy the survival curves do not show](https://onco.cc/terms/prostate-adt-burden/)
- key papers: [SWOG 9346: intermittent versus continuous androgen deprivation in metastatic prostate cancer](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-hussain-swog-9346-intermittent-androgen-deprivation-nejm-2013/)
- trials: [Assessing Efficacy of Neoadjuvant ADT in Localized High-Risk Prostate Cancer Patients Utilizing 18F-Flotufolastat PSMA PET/CT](https://onco.cc/trials/nct07455903/), [Flutamide, Suramin, and Hydrocortisone in Treating Patients With Prostate Cancer](https://onco.cc/trials/nct00002881/), [HERO](https://onco.cc/trials/hero/), [Hormone Therapy in Treating Patients With Rising PSA Levels Following Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer](https://onco.cc/trials/nct00003653/), [Hormone Therapy With or Without Surgery or Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Prostate Cancer](https://onco.cc/trials/nct00002633/), [Ovarian Suppression Evaluating Subcutaneous Leuprolide Acetate in Breast Cancer](https://onco.cc/trials/nct04906395/), [Standard Systemic Therapy With or Without Definitive Treatment in Treating Participants With Metastatic Prostate Cancer](https://onco.cc/trials/nct03678025/), [Treating Prostate Cancer That Has Come Back After Surgery With Apalutamide and Targeted Radiation Based on PET Imaging](https://onco.cc/trials/nct04423211/), [Two Studies for Patients With High Risk Prostate Cancer Testing Less Intense Treatment for Patients With a Low Gene Risk Score and Testing a More Intense Treatment for Patients With a High Gene Risk Score, The PREDICT-RT Trial](https://onco.cc/trials/nct04513717/)
- drugs: [Abarelix](https://onco.cc/drugs/abarelix/), [Buserelin](https://onco.cc/drugs/buserelin/), [Histrelin](https://onco.cc/drugs/histrelin/), [Triptorelin](https://onco.cc/drugs/triptorelin/)
- roadmaps: [Hormonal therapy roadmap: removing the ovaries → tamoxifen → oral degraders switched by a blood test](https://onco.cc/roadmaps/hormonal-therapy-roadmap/)

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