Hormone therapy for prostate cancer is revealing new heart risks that are raising red flags about prostate cancer treatment. Also called androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) or androgen suppression therapy, hormone therapy is the leading treatment for prostate cancer. A U.S. study of 37,000 men who were treated with ADT were found to have a 27 percent increased risk for heart disease.
The American Cancer Society is encouraging doctors and patients to weigh in heart health risks with prostate cancer treatment. The six studies conducted have not given all of the answers to why hormone therapies actually increase cardiovascular disease, but the results from the studies are substantial enough to further the benefit or risk evaluations of cancer patients undergoing hormone therapy.
Several types of hormone therapy are used to treat prostate cancer. Orchiectomy (surgical castration), luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) analogs, luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) antagonists, anti-androgens and other androgen-suppressing drugs, such as estrogen and Ketoconazole (Nizoral). Each of the treatment types involve serious side effects from sexual impotency, blood clots, weight gain, etc., but most importantly, heart risks.
"Many people underestimate the harm of hormonal therapy and overestimate the potential benefits of hormonal therapy," stated Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. One third of all men with prostate cancer are given ADT treatment.
Of the six studies conducted, 2 were in Europe and 4 were in the U.S., all of which showed significant increases in cardiovascular diseases.
Written by Amy Munday
Huliq.com
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