How to Deal With Prostate Cancer Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy is one method that can be used to slow the spread of prostate cancer in men, according to information from the American Cancer Society. While effective at curbing the influence of cancer in the body, hormone therapy carries with it its own set of unwelcome side effects. Understand that as a patient, dealing with the aftermath of hormone therapy will take some time and energy, but it can be done.

Instructions

• 1

  Understand the basics behind hormone therapy to treat prostate cancer so that you are fully informed as to the procedure itself. According to the American Cancer Society, hormone therapy involves either the use of surgical means of the administration of prescription drugs to effectuate a reduction in either the production of male hormones such as testosterone or in the body's ability to utilize these hormones. As prostate cancer development relies on the presence of male hormones for development, lowering androgen (male hormone) levels effectively pulls the rug out from the cancer's source of development, slowing but not halting growth.

• 2

  Familiarize yourself with the expected benefits of hormone therapy so you do not enter into the procedure with any misconceptions. Understanding exactly what hormone therapy can and cannot do for you beforehand makes it far easier to make an accurate risk-benefit assessment, helping you to better cope with the effects knowing that it you made a fully informed decision to battle prostate cancer. For example, you should be well aware of the fact that hormone therapy is no cure for prostate cancer--at best, it will only buy you some time for other treatment methods to take effect.

• 3

  Memorize the various risks and side effects inherent in prostate cancer hormone therapy so that you can weigh them against the expected benefit of a bit of additional time in your fight against cancer. Manipulating the body's endocrine system to neutralize the effects of male hormones carries a potentially heavy price, including the possibility of fatigue, impotence, brain fog, depression, development of breast tissue, and weight gain coupled with loss of muscle mass.

• 4

  Understanding the side effects can help you to more accurately ascribe your post-therapy feelings and experiences as a result of the treatment, helping you to better cope with the aftermath. For example, after beginning your therapy when you notice the first signs of breast tenderness or weight gain, you can properly determine the cause of those symptoms as opposed to worrying that it might be a side effect of the cancer or some other encroaching disease. Being able to positively relate the effects to the treatment can help you to psychologically deal with the changes that you will experience, as you can safely "blame" the effects on the treatment itself, considering them just another bit of collateral damage in the fight against cancer.