Treatment - Hormone Therapy



Prostate cancer cells thrive on testosterone, the male hormone that control body hair, muscle mass and sexuality in men. Hormone therapy involve suppressing the activity or stopping the production of testosterone, known as androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT).

It is important to note however, that hormone therapy does not cure prostate cancer. It is an important tool that can be used along other treatment methods such as prostatectomy surgery. In fact, some prostate cancer can grow even without the presence of testosterone.

An orchiectomy is surgical removal of the testicles, the body's main producer of testosterone. This is an irreversible low cost surgery that has been in practice for over close to 70 years with but most men will opt for non-surgical hormone treatments.

Luteinizing-hormone releasing hormone, (LHRH) or gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is one of the primary hormones released by the body prior to the production of testosterone. Blocking the release of LHRH through the use of LHRH agonists or LHRH analogues in the form of injection is one of the most common hormone therapies used in men with prostate cancer.

During the initial usage of LHRH agonists, the body will experience temporary surge of testosterone that will bring about bone pain and urinary frequency. Antiandrogens are therefore used in addition to hormone therapy to ease the effects of testosterone surge in the first few weeks. Antiandrogens act by blocking testosterone activities in the prostate but is not a good choice for patients with metastatic prostate cancer.

Hormone therapy can shrink the size of a large tumor so that radiation can be easily targeted to kill the prostate cancer cells.