Goserelin
Also known as: Zoladex
Goserelin is a synthetic decapeptide GnRH agonist that first stimulates and then, with continuous depot exposure, downregulates pituitary GnRH receptors to suppress LH, FSH and downstream sex steroids toward castrate or postmenopausal levels.
- Drug class
- GnRH (LHRH) agonist decapeptide
- Primary targets
- GnRH receptor, pituitary gonadotrophs, LH, FSH, testosterone, estradiol
- Dose reference
- Label reference (not a recommendation): 3.6 mg subcutaneous depot every 28 days, or 10.8 mg subcutaneous depot every 12 weeks for prostate cancer.
- Half-life
- Serum elimination half-life of the drug is about 4 hours with normal renal function (up to ~12 hours with severe renal impairment); the depot provides sustained release over 4 to 12 weeks
- Developer / origin
- ICI Pharmaceuticals (now AstraZeneca)
- Reference year
- 1989
- Evidence score
- 5/5 - Approved, strong primary evidence
Approved uses
- Advanced prostate cancer (palliative)
- Locally confined prostate cancer (Stage B2-C) with flutamide and radiation
- Endometriosis
- Endometrial thinning before ablation for dysfunctional uterine bleeding
- Advanced breast cancer in pre- and perimenopausal women
Approved, strong primary evidence
Goserelin (Zoladex) is FDA-approved with decades of label-backed and randomized-trial evidence for hormone suppression in prostate cancer, breast cancer and endometriosis.
Approved medication with substantial human clinical evidence.
Evidence basis
- FDA/DailyMed Zoladex prescribing information defining indications, dosing and safety
- ZIPP randomized trial (~2,710 patients) showing event-free and overall survival benefit in premenopausal breast cancer
- Twenty-year randomized trial of adjuvant goserelin plus tamoxifen published in Journal of Clinical Oncology
- Prospective randomized endometriosis trial of goserelin plus anastrozole
Key references
- DailyMedZoladex (goserelin implant) prescribing information
- PubMedAdjuvant goserelin in pre-menopausal patients with early breast cancer: results from the ZIPP study
- PMC / Journal of Clinical OncologyTwenty-Year Benefit From Adjuvant Goserelin and Tamoxifen in Premenopausal Patients With Breast Cancer
How to read this entry
Dose references and half-life values are pulled from trial protocols, labels, reviews, or published summaries where available. They are context for research and comparison, not a personal dosing recommendation.
Status matters: approved drugs have regulated indications; investigational compounds are still being studied; research-only peptides do not have established human dosing, safety, or efficacy for consumer use.
Goserelin guides
Read the matching guide or adjacent research pages for more context.
Peptide calculators
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Buserelin is a GnRH receptor superagonist that initially stimulates and then, with continuous non-pulsatile exposure, desensitizes pituitary gonadotrophs to suppress LH, FSH and downstream testosterone or estradiol production.
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Nafarelin is a potent GnRH receptor agonist that initially stimulates pituitary LH and FSH release but with continued dosing downregulates the receptor, suppressing gonadotropins and sex steroid production.
Histrelin
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Histrelin is a GnRH receptor agonist that initially stimulates and then, through continuous implant delivery, downregulates pituitary GnRH receptors to suppress LH, FSH and sex steroid production.