Hormone Therapy Not Best for Older Prostate Cance...(and having a more aggressive form of pro...),Health

"But we still don't know exactly why there's an increased risk for mortality for these patients," Dosoretz cautioned. "So, we need to look into this important issue further, with randomized trials that take in all the bias. Meanwhile, when deciding about hormone therapy treatment, it's important -- especially among elderly men who have early-stage prostate cancer -- to really weigh the benefits and risks."

Dr. Charles J. Ryan, a urologic cancer specialist and an assistant clinical professor of medicine in the division of hematology/oncology at the University of California, San Francisco, agreed.

"We have a pretty good sense that hormone therapy can increase the relative risk for cardiac risk, diabetes and some of the major problems that are likely to kill patients with prostate cancer," Ryan noted. "However, here, the researchers do not address prostate-cancer specific mortality but rather all-cause mortality. And it does a disservice to what hormone therapy can do well to ignore the fact that there have been several studies going back years that show that hormone therapy in addition to radiation improves survival for high-risk patients."

"So, basically, the decision with what to do with hormone therapy needs to be taken in the context of risk," Ryan said.

More information

For additional details on early-stage prostate cancer treatment, visit the National Cancer Institute.

SOURCES: Amy M. Dosoretz, M.D., radiation oncology resident, Harvard Radiation Oncology Program, Boston; Charles J. Ryan, M.D., assistant clinical professor, medicine, division of hematology/oncology, University of California, San Francisco; Sept. 23, 2008, presentation
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