Side Effects of Hormone Treatment for Prostate Cancer

Prostate Cancer is an ever-present threat for men. Recent statistics show it is the second most common cancer affecting them, right behind skin cancer, and that one out of every six men will have to wage war against prostate cancer during his lifetime.
To that end, it is important to have a grasp of all possible treatment options. In addition to knowing about the treatments themselves, it is also crucial to understand the expected side effects. After all, a cure worse than the disease is no cure at all. Read on and learn more about the side effects that result from hormone treatment for prostate cancer.

What Is Prostate Cancer?

• Prostate cancer is a condition in which the cells of the prostate go awry, mutating away from their intended design and rapidly multiplying. If left unchecked, all forms of cancer will eventually spread throughout the body by hijacking the lymph node system.
  There are four stages of prostate cancer. In stages one and two the disease remains confined to the prostate. In stage three it spreads to surrounding tissue. In stage four it has made its way into the lymph nodes.
  Regardless of the stage it must be fought, and fought hard.

Hormone Treatment for Prostate Cancer

• Hormone treatment is one way to combat the horrors of prostate cancer, though it---and this must be emphasized---is not a cure. Nonetheless, it can dramatically slow the rate at which cancer develops by breaking the causal link between high androgen levels and rapid cancer growth. By artificially lowering the levels of androgens (male hormones such as testosterone) in the body, the rate at which the cancer grows is similarly stifled.

Mental Side Effects

• However, chemically or surgically altering androgen levels in an otherwise normal male body can have disastrous consequences, as tampering with the endrocrine systems and the body's hormones can produce severe psychological impairments, including a decline in mental acuity (this can also be described as a feeling of brain fog), chronic fatigue and depression.

Physical Side Effects

• In addition to the mental trauma wreaked by decreased testosterone levels, there are physical maladies to confront as well. The body loses its foremost traits of masculinity, beginning with a decrease in muscle mass and an increase in fat mass. Levels of HDL (commonly known as the "good" cholesterol) plummet, bones lose density, possibly progressing to the development of osteoporosis, and the body's red-cell counts decline. The individual could suffer from temporary hot flashes, similar to those experienced by menopausal women. And possibly most emasculating of all, the patient could suffer from gynecomastia, which is the development of breasts on a male.

Considerations

• Hormone therapy for prostate cancer offers great benefits and carries great risks, which would be more acceptable if the treatment resulted in complete destruction of the cancer cells, but it does not. While every patient must carefully weigh the pros and cons before deciding to undergo the rigors of hormone therapy, the lengthy list of serious side effects is sufficient to give pause. Remember that many alternative measures are available to combat prostate cancer, so be sure to exhaust all other potential treatments before considering a bout with hormone therapy.