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Prostate Cancer Hormone Treatment

Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancerous growth in men. The hormone testosterone provides the cancerous cells in the prostate the fuel they need to grow. In order to control the cancerous growth, hormone therapy is used as an intervention.

  1. Androgen Deprivation Therapy

    • Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a common form of treatment in prostate cancer. This helps stop the production of testosterone and thus, deprives the prostrate and the cancerous cells from getting the energy they need to develop and divide.

    LHRH Agnostics

    • Luteinizing-hormone releasing hormone or LHRH is a basic hormone released before testosterone. This hormone is also called the gonadotropin-releasing hormone. LHRH Agnostics are basically drugs that help in preventing the production of LHRH. To treat prostate cancer with hormone therapy, LHRH agnostics are used to block the production and release of LHRH. LHRH agnostics include drugs such as Eligard, Lupron and Trelstar. The drug is given as regular shots administered per month, every three months or annually.

    Antiandrogens

    • Antiandrogens are sometimes used in coordination with LHRH agnostics. LHRH agnostics prevent the production of LHRH but cause a rise in testosterone. Antiandrogens are given to block the release of testosterone in order to reduce production of cancerous cells in the prostrate. Drugs containing antiandrogens include Eulexin and Nilandron. These are usually given for the first four weeks to ensure that the reaction caused by LHRH agonists is controlled by the antiandrogens.

    LHRH Antagonists

    • A relatively new treatment is the use of drugs like Degarelix, that work like LHRH agonists but do not have the resulting increases in testosterone in the initial phase of treatment. These drugs contain the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone antagonists. Because of its serious reactions and at times side effects, the drug is approved only for those men who suffer from advanced prostate cancer and for whom all other hormone treatments have failed. Given as a shot under the skin every month, the shot has to be given in the physician's office to ensure no reactions occur.

    Estrogens

    • Estrogens were initially used as an alternative to surgical intervention for men with advanced prostate cancer. The side effects can include breast enlargement and blood clots. While the use of estrogens has been reduced in men with prostate cancer, it may still be used when androgen deprivation fails.

    CAB and TAB

    • At times the combined androgen blockade (CAB) method is used as is the triple androgen blockade (TAB) method. These two methods are not common and their effectiveness is still questioned when compared to single drug therapies. Yet when doctors see no change in the patient's cancer cell production, they may opt to either treat the patient with androgen deprivation and an anti-androgen (CAB). Other doctors may try the TAB method where the hormone therapy is aided by a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor. This may be either a drug such as Proscar or Avodart.

    Orchiectomy

    • While basically a surgical method of removing the prostate gland, orchiectomy has the same effects as hormone therapy. This method includes removing the testicles where testosterone is produced in order to ensure that the hormone cannot be released in the body.

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