Hormone Treatment for Early Stage Prostate Cancer

Hormone treatment also referred as androgen suppression therapy involves removing, blocking or adding of hormones for treatment of prostate cancer. Hormone treatment for early stage prostate cancer is considered to be one of the most effective treatments for prostate cancer. Hormone treatment for early stage prostate cancer can delay the progression of the prostate cancer increasing survival rate.

Hormone treatment is very effective in reducing tumors and for this reason it is used in early stage of prostate cancer. It may be used in combination with radiation or surgery. Hormone treatment shrinks large tumors. These tumors can be easily destroyed or removed either by radiation or surgery.

When exposed to androgens (male sex hormones) the prostate cancer cells grow rapidly. The main type of androgen that is responsible for cell growth is testosterone. Hormone treatment for early stage prostate cancer is primarily used to stop the production of testosterone and other related hormones temporarily or permanently.

Hormone treatment for early stage prostate cancer involves the use of injections, pills or surgery. Drugs can stop or decrease your body’s production of male sex hormones (testosterone) and protect cells from remaining androgens. Drugs can even stop the activity of male hormones in the body. Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists help in setting up chemical blockade, which prevents the testicles from receiving messages to make testosterone.

Drugs that are mainly used in hormone treatment for early stage prostate cancer include goserelin and leuprolide. These drugs are injected either under your skin or into a muscle once every four months. You can continue these injections for years or months depending on the situation.

A little amount of testosterone comes from adrenal glands and therefore is not be suppressed by goserelin or leuprolide. Therefore some other drugs called anti-androgens are used to block body's ability to use testosterone. These drugs include bicalutamide, nilutamide and flutamide that can prevent testosterone from reaching the cancer cells. These drugs come in a pill form and can be taken 2-3 a day as per prescription. They can be taken in combination with an LHRH agonist.

Hormone treatment for early stage prostate cancer sometimes involves surgical removal of testicles that produce most of testosterone. This surgery is known as orchiectomy. This prevents further growth of cancer cells. This can also block male hormones from getting into cancer cells. This surgery is performed on an outpatient basis using a local anesthetic.

Side Effects of Hormone Treatment

Side effects of hormone treatment are mainly caused due to reduced levels of testosterone. Some of the side effects include:

• Breast enlargement
• Hot flashes
• Loss of bone and muscle mass
• Impotence
• Weight gain
• Reduced sex drive
• Fatigue

Other side effects that may be caused due to drugs include:

• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Diarrhea
• Liver damage

Another side effect of hormone treatment that may be caused due to LHRH agonists is a sudden increase in tumor growth making the symptoms worse.