Hormones control the growth and activity of body cells. Testosterone is the major male hormone that occurs naturally in
the body. Hormones act like a fuel to feed the cancer cells and keep them active. By consequence, prostate cancer cells
depend of these hormones.
Hormone therapy acts by lowering the testosterone being made in your body.
The purpose of this type of therapy is twofold:
Delay the cancer’s progression and
Maximize the quality of life.
Because prostate cancer depend of these
hormones, when the amount of testosterone is reduced, it is possible to slow down or shrink the tumor. Sometimes the symptoms disappear completely.
Also known as androgen deprivation therapy, hormone therapy can be used by itself or in combination with radiation
therapy or surgery (radical prostatectomy) to treat prostate cancer. What treatment is recommended for you, will
depend on if the tumor has spread outside the prostate gland.
How testosterone leve is reduced
The testosterone levels can be reduced either by surgery or drugs. As testosterone is mainly made in the testes,
surgery means castration and it is performed in advanced stages when cancer has spread to the bone and is affecting
the spinal cord.
These days, patients are more likely to have drug based hormone treatment than surgery. For this, here are two main
types of drugs called Pituitary down regulators and Anti androgens
Usually patients have either an anti androgen or a pituitary down regulator. But they may have them together for a
short time to if the doctor wants to prevent tumor flare or if cancer is showing signs of becoming resistant to one
of the drugs taken on its own. Pituitary down regulators are generally thought to be more effective, but high dose
of anti androgens is also sometimes used for locally advanced prostate cancer (stage 3).
When is hormone therapy prescribed?
When the tumor is localized in prostate it is successfully treated with surgery. When cancer cells migrate in the body, hormone therapy is more effective. Patients with very early prostate cancer that can be cured with radiotherapy or surgery, won't need hormone therapy if they are not at high risk for recurrence.
Hormone therapy is prescribed only after surgery because having it beforehand can make more technically difficult for your surgeon to get the cancer out.
When cancer is potentially curable, patients may have hormone therapy for a few months before radical radiotherapy. Most doctors will also recommend patients to have some hormone therapy together with radiotherapy treatment. The exact treatment will depend on stage and grade of cancer, age and general health of patients.
Side effects of hormone therapy
Testosterone plays a significant role in establishing and maintaining the typical male characteristics. Because loss of testosterone can alter man lifestyle, the patient should have a discussion regarding the effects of hormone therapy before beginning it.
The degree to which any man will be affected by testosterone loss is very hard to predict, but the patients must know that the list of potential effects is long: hot flashes, erectile dysfunction, decreased sexual desire, decreased muscle mass, fatigue, anemia, osteoporosis, weight gain and memory loss.
Latest News
New approach regarding androgen deprivation therapy There is an increasing belief among at least some opinion-leaders in the prostate cancer treatment community
that androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has been and still is being significantly overused.
[ read full article ]
Anxiety leads to early use of androgen deprivation therapy A recent study has concluded that cancer anxiety independently and robustly predicts earlier androgen deprivation
therapy (ADT) initiation in older men with biochemical recurrence. They note, however, that among older patients
with prostate cancer, earlier initiation of ADT may have limited impact on life expectancy and can negatively
impact patients’ health-related quality of life.
[ read full article ]
Abiraterone shows promissing results Studies have revealed that prostate cancer grows when exposed to the male hormone testosterone and its related
hormones, called androgens. For this reason, hormone treatment is given to halt the production of testosterone
and androgens.
[ read full article ]
Why prostate cancer patients fail hormone deprivation therapy The hormone deprivation therapy that prostate cancer patients often take gives them only a temporary fix,
with tumors usually regaining their hold within a couple of years. Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins have
discovered critical differences in the hormone receptors on prostate cancer cells in patients who no longer respond
to this therapy.
[ read full article ]
Why hormone therapy for prostate cancer fails Some of the drugs given to many men during their fight against prostate cancer can actually spur some cancer cells to grow, researchers have found. The findings were published online this week in a pair of papers in the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences.
[ read full article ]
ED from prostate cancer hormone therapy treatable A new study shows that a substantial minority of men receiving so-called androgen deprivation therapy, or ADT, for prostate cancer experience erectile dysfunction
(ED). However, many respond well to ED therapy, doctors from Memphis have found.
[ read full article ]
Hormone therapy only helps some older men with prostate cancer
Adding hormone therapy to radiation treatment for fast-moving prostate cancer can save lives, but the benefit often doesn't apply to men who have other serious medical problems
[ read full article ]
NOTE: Issues on this site regarding men's health and their concerns, 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.
The testosterone levels can be reduced either by surgery or drugs. As testosterone is mainly made in the testes,
surgery means castration and it is performed in advanced stages when cancer has spread to the bone and is affecting
the spinal cord.