Prostate Cancer Hormone Therapy Side Effects
Published on Mar 31 2010, in the categories: Problems, Side effects, Therapies
The hormone therapy is generally known under the name of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).
This treatment method is included in the list of conventional treatments for prostate cancer, being discovered in 1941 by Charles B. Huggins while conducting several research studies by using estrogen to oppose the production of testosterone. The “chemical castration” is done by depriving the organism of testosterone because it was discovered the fact that the male androgenic hormone is the cause of the rapid growth of the cancerous cells in the prostate gland.
For this treatment procedure, two drugs are being used: the LH-RH agonists block the LH-RH produced by the organism and the anti-androgenic drugs, stopping the testosterone effects on the prostate.
The great disadvantage of using this treatment procedure is that the tumor can always reappear, being more aggressive in comparison to the first time.
It is true that each form of treatment has its side effects so you should stay well informed about the procedure you opt for in case you are diagnosed with this disease.
Besides decreasing the quality of life when impotence and breast enlargement known as gynecomastia tend to appear, the side effects of hormone therapy are usually much more serious leading to death sometimes. The androgen deprivation therapy can increase the risk of a coronary artery disease, the result being death caused by a cardiovascular disorder. Statistics have also shown that the hormone treatment significantly increased the risk of death in patients who opted for the surgical procedure or prostatectomy for localized cancer of the prostate.
There is also an increased risk of developing incident diabetes.
If we are talking about metastatic cancer, the doctor’s suggestion is to keep in balance the negative after effects, like the cardiac risk, with an aggressive nutritional diet, plenty of exercises daily and using lipid lowering drugs.
Hormone therapy can always be complemented with the expectant management or watchful waiting procedure but it would probably be better to consult your doctor about that before deciding.
If you are not satisfied with what you hear about the hormone therapy there are some other conventional treatments you can always choose from. But do keep in mind that we are not talking about what procedure you like the best, we are talking about what treatment method applies better in your case; since the prostate cancer is categorized in different stages, describing how spread is the tumor, there are also treatments available for each type of cancer.
The best option for preventing such a disease is to regularly consult a doctor, perform the screening tests and try to maintain a healthy life by making exercises everyday and eat natural products. This could be the first important step to gain a long life without worries!
This treatment method is included in the list of conventional treatments for prostate cancer, being discovered in 1941 by Charles B. Huggins while conducting several research studies by using estrogen to oppose the production of testosterone. The “chemical castration” is done by depriving the organism of testosterone because it was discovered the fact that the male androgenic hormone is the cause of the rapid growth of the cancerous cells in the prostate gland.
For this treatment procedure, two drugs are being used: the LH-RH agonists block the LH-RH produced by the organism and the anti-androgenic drugs, stopping the testosterone effects on the prostate.
The great disadvantage of using this treatment procedure is that the tumor can always reappear, being more aggressive in comparison to the first time.
It is true that each form of treatment has its side effects so you should stay well informed about the procedure you opt for in case you are diagnosed with this disease.
Besides decreasing the quality of life when impotence and breast enlargement known as gynecomastia tend to appear, the side effects of hormone therapy are usually much more serious leading to death sometimes. The androgen deprivation therapy can increase the risk of a coronary artery disease, the result being death caused by a cardiovascular disorder. Statistics have also shown that the hormone treatment significantly increased the risk of death in patients who opted for the surgical procedure or prostatectomy for localized cancer of the prostate.
There is also an increased risk of developing incident diabetes.
If we are talking about metastatic cancer, the doctor’s suggestion is to keep in balance the negative after effects, like the cardiac risk, with an aggressive nutritional diet, plenty of exercises daily and using lipid lowering drugs.
Hormone therapy can always be complemented with the expectant management or watchful waiting procedure but it would probably be better to consult your doctor about that before deciding.
If you are not satisfied with what you hear about the hormone therapy there are some other conventional treatments you can always choose from. But do keep in mind that we are not talking about what procedure you like the best, we are talking about what treatment method applies better in your case; since the prostate cancer is categorized in different stages, describing how spread is the tumor, there are also treatments available for each type of cancer.
The best option for preventing such a disease is to regularly consult a doctor, perform the screening tests and try to maintain a healthy life by making exercises everyday and eat natural products. This could be the first important step to gain a long life without worries!
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