Recovery Time From ADT Treatment

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), sometimes called hormone therapy, is a common treatment for prostate cancer. Androgens are male hormones like testosterone. Since these hormones stimulate cell growth in the prostate gland, temporarily or permanently reducing androgen levels can help shrink the tumor or slow its growth. The side effects and recovery time vary depending on the method used.

Prostate Cancer

• Among men older than 50, prostate cancer is the most common cancer, affecting nearly as many as one in six U.S. men within their lifetime. Like other cancers, it's a disorder where mutant cells proliferate and grow out of control. Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer are over age 65. Symptoms often include difficulty in urination and impaired sexual function and are similar to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a disorder where an enlarged prostate presses against the urethra and the bladder. However, BPH--unlike prostate cancer--is benign, not cancerous. Chances of recovery for those diagnosed with prostate cancer depend on how far the disease has progressed and whether it has invaded other tissues.

ADT

• Male sex hormones or androgens like testosterone can promote cell division in the prostate, so minimizing production of these hormones can help treat the disease. Sometimes doctors remove the patient's testicles, a procedure called orchiectomy, to stop production of testosterone. While surgical castration is a fairly simple surgical procedure, it's also irreversible. Many patients therefore prefer therapies that use drugs. LHRH hormone agonists are drugs intended to stop testosterone production in the testicles, while antiandrogens bind to androgen receptors on cells in your body, blocking the activity of androgens.

Uses and Side Effects

• ADT is a very common treatment for advanced prostate cancer, especially if the tumor has already spread beyond the prostate gland. It can cause a number of side effects, including impotence, low libido, growth of breast tissue, osteoporosis and fatigue. It can also increase the risk of heart disease.

Recovery From Orchiectomy

• Orchiectomy is an irreversible procedure; side effects generally include loss of libido and impotence. Recovery following the surgery, however, is typically quite rapid and complications are rare. For those patients who so choose, doctors can often replace the testicles with a testicular prosthesis, silicone sacs shaped like testicles, in order to restore normal appearance.

Recovery from ADT

• According to a 2006 paper in BJUI, testosterone levels in most men return to normal some 18 to 24 weeks following the last LHRH injection in short-term ADT. Long-term androgen deprivation therapy (LTADT), however, is typically accompanied by more lasting side effects. Another study in BJUI in 2006 found that testosterone levels in many men did not return to normal levels for a year or more following LTADT. Moreover, even after testosterone levels have returned to normal, sexual function may not necessarily recover. The 2006 study found that only 10 percent of the men in the study recovered potency following treatment. The effect of ADT on sexual function may therefore be quite prolonged, although more so with long-term ADT.