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Anxiety leads to early use of androgen deprivation therapyThe study set out to test the hypothesis that elevated cancer anxiety leads to earlier initiation of ADT after BCR among older men. Their test population was a group of 67 older patients (with an average age 68 years) with BCR after initial treatment for prostate cancer. Androgen deprivation therapy is a very common used form of treatment for patients who experience biochemical recurrence after first- or second-line therapy. However, as is also well known, the optimal timing of ADT initiation is uncertain, and earlier initiation of ADT can cause toxicities that lower patients’ condition. This is yet another study that calls into question the ways we have been “rushing” from one therapy to the next in the attempt to “manage PSA levels” rather than effective managing life with progressive prostate cancer. All too often men have not understood the impact of ADT on quality of life until they have been on this type of treatment for several months. They also do not appreciate that early ADT may have little to no impact on their overall survival. There is an increasing appreciation of the adverse consequences of androgen deprivation therapy among the academic prostate cancer opinion-leaders, but the degree to which this appreciation is filtering down into community practice is less clear as yet. The question of when it is most appropriate to initiate hormone therapy is not well defined, largely because it is so dependent on a multiplicity of factors that include the patient’s age, general health, PSA velocity, prior treatments, personal preferences, and a whole range of other factors. NOTE: Issues on this site regarding prostate cancer and treatment options, are provided for information only, and are not meant to substitute for the advice of your own physician or other medical professional. Prostate-Report.org does not endorse any specific product, service or treatment. |
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