Use of inhibitors of the egfr-mediated signal transduction for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (bph) / prostatic hypertrophy

A method of treating benign prostatic hyperplasia/prostatic hypertrophy which comprises administering to a patient in need thereof a therapeutically effective amount of EGF-receptor antagonists selected from the group (A) consisting of compounds of general formula

• wherein
• Ra denotes a phenyl, benzyl or 1-phenylethyl group, wherein the phenyl nucleus is substituted in each case by the groups R1 and R2, while
• R1 and R2, which may be identical or different, in each case denote a hydrogen, fluorine, chlorine or bromine atom,
• a methyl, trifluoromethyl, ethynyl or methoxy group,
• Rb denotes a di-(C1-4-alkyl)-amino group wherein the alkyl moieties may be identical or different,
• an N—(C1-4-alkyl)-N—(C2-4-alkyl)amino group wherein the C2-4-alkyl moiety in the position β, γ or δ to the nitrogen atom of the amino group is substituted by the group R4, where
• R4 denotes a C1-3-alkoxy or di-(C1-3-alkyl)-amino group,
• a pyrrolidino, piperidino or morpholino group,
• a di-(C2-4-alkyl)-amino group wherein the two C2-4-alkyl moieties in the position β, γ or δ to the nitrogen atom of the amino group are each substituted by the group R4, while the substituents may be identical or different and R4 is as hereinbefore defined,
• a C1-4-alkylamino group wherein the nitrogen atom is substituted by a tetrahydrofuran-3-yl, tetrahydropyran-3-yl, tetrahydropyran-4-yl, tetrahydrofuranylmethyl, 1-(C1-2-alkyl)-pyrrolidin-3-yl, 1-(C1-2-alkyl)piperidin-3-yl or 1-(C1-2-alkyl)piperidin-4-yl group,
• a C3-5-cycloalkylamino or C3-5-cycloalkyl-C1-3-alkylamino group, wherein in each case the nitrogen atom is substituted by a C1-3-alkyl group,
• a 5- to 7-membered alkyleneimino group optionally substituted by 1 or 2 methyl groups which may be substituted by the group R4 either at a cyclic carbon atom or at one of the methyl groups, where R4 is as hereinbefore defined,
• a piperidino group optionally substituted by 1 or 2 methyl groups wherein the methylene group in the 4 position is replaced by an oxygen or sulphur atom, by a sulphinyl or sulphonyl group or by an imino group substituted by the group R5, while
• R5 denotes a C1-3-alkyl, 2-methoxyethyl, 3-methoxypropyl, C3-6-cycloalkyl, C3-6-cycloalkyl-C1-3-alkyl, C1-3-alkylcarbonyl, C1-3-alkylsulphonyl,
• aminocarbonyl, C1-3-alkylaminocarbonyl or di-(C1-3-alkyl)-aminocarbonyl group, and
• Rc denotes a C4-7-cycloalkoxy or C3-7-cycloalkyl-C1-4-alkoxy group, wherein the cycloalkyl moiety may be substituted in each case by a C1-3-alkyl or C1-3-alkoxy group, or
• a tetrahydrofuran-3-yloxy, tetrahydropyran-3-yloxy, tetrahydropyran-4-yloxy or tetrahydrofuranylmethoxy group,
• a C2-4-alkoxy group which may be substituted in the β, γ or δ position to the oxygen atom by an azetidin-1-yl, 4-methyl-homopiperazino or 4-ethyl-homopiperazino group,
• the group (B) consisting of the compounds
• (1) 4-[(3-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)amino]-6-[3-(morpholin-4-yl)-propyloxy]-7-methoxy-quinazoline,
• (2) 4-[(3-ethynylphenyl)amino]-6,7-bis-(2-methoxy-ethoxy)-quinazoline,
• (3) 4-[(3-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)amino]-7-[3-(morpholin-4-yl)-propyloxy]-6-[(vinyl-carbonyl)amino]-quinazoline,
• (4) 4-[(R)-(1-phenyl-ethyl)amino]-6-(4-hydroxy-phenyl)7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine,
• (5) 3-cyano-4-[(3-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)amino]-6-{[4-(N,N-dimethylamino)-1-oxo-2-buten-1-yl]amino}-7-ethoxy-quinoline or
• (6) 4-{[3-chloro-4-(3-fluorobenzyloxy)-phenyl]amino}-6-(5-{[(2-methanesulphonyl-ethyl)amino]methyl}-furan-2-ylyquinazoline,
• the tautomers, the stereoisomers or the salts thereof and
• the group (C) consisting of the antibodies Cetuximab, Trastuzumab, ABX-EGF and Mab ICR-62 for preparing a pharmaceutical composition for the prevention of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and/or prostatic hypertrophy.