Medications for Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer treatment may include medications, radiation, and surgery incorporated into individualized cancer treatment plans designed by a cancer specialist known as an oncologist.

Types

• Prostate cancer medications can be classified as chemotherapy drugs or hormone medications.

Mechanism of Action

• There are many classes of chemotherapy drugs, each with a specific mechanism of action. There are two groups of hormone medications used for prostate cancer. One stops your body from producing testosterone, a natural hormone that stimulates the growth of the cancer cells. The other blocks testosterone when it tries to enter cancer cells.

Functions

• Chemotherapy medications act directly on cancer cells to kill them. Hormones slow tumor growth and shrink the tumor within the prostate.

Side Effects

• Chemotherapy drugs cause a range of serious symptoms, including fatigue, hair loss, and lower blood cell counts that increase the risk for infection. Hormone medications typically have fewer and less serious side effects, such as vomiting, hot flashes, and sexual dysfunction.

Indications

• Hormonal medications are relatively benign and may be an early treatment for prostate cancer. According to the Mayo Clinic, chemotherapy is typically used only in men with hormone-resistant prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.