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In prostate cancer, hormone therapy is treatment to keep the cancer cells from getting testosterone, the main male hormone (androgen). Hormone therapy for prostate cancer is also called androgen-deprivation therapy or androgen-suppression therapy.
There are several types of hormone therapy for prostate cancer, including:
- Medicines that keep the body from making testosterone
- Medicines that block the action of testosterone already in the body
- Surgery to remove the testicles (orchiectomy), the main source of testosterone in men
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How Hormone Therapy Can Treat Prostate Cancer
Testosterone may cause prostate cancers to grow. This is why it may be useful to reduce testosterone levels in your body or prevent testosterone from reaching your prostate cancer cells.
Hormone therapy is among the most effective forms of systemic (body wide) therapy for this disease. It’s 85% to 90% effective. Used alone, it does not cure prostate cancer, but it does slow the progress of the disease.
Why Choose Fred Hutch for Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer
The medical oncologists on Fred Hutch’s prostate cancer team are experts in all types of medicine-based treatment for this disease. There are many kinds of hormone therapy, and it’s important to have an expert on your side who knows the pros and cons of each. Your medical oncologist will carefully decide if hormone therapy is right for you and which medicine best matches your needs. You can be assured they’ll also work closely with you to prevent or manage any side effects you might have.
Prostate cancer may become resistant to hormone therapy over time — meaning the cancer keeps growing even when testosterone is very low. Much work by Fred Hutch researchers has focused on trying to prevent this. Our scientists have studied how prostate cancer develops and turns resistant. Their goal is to understand in detail how tumors survive without testosterone so we can find new ways to stop tumors that do this.
Your physician may suggest hormone therapy if any of these is true:
- You have advanced or high-risk prostate cancer at the time of diagnosis
- Your prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level is rising even though you’ve had treatment for prostate cancer
- You can’t have surgery or radiation therapy for your disease
Hormone therapy can be used before, after or along with most other prostate cancer treatments, including surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
Most hormone therapies cause similar side effects due to changes in the levels of hormones (testosterone and estrogen). The side effects of medicine-based hormone therapy and the time it takes to get over them depend on the type of medicine, the dose, the length of time you take it and your overall health.
Similar side effects can happen with surgery to remove the testicles. Though this is a simple outpatient procedure, it also has the typical side effects and risks of any surgery, like risks for bleeding and infection.
The most common side effects of hormone therapy are infertility, trouble controlling urine flow, reduced sexual desire, impotence or erectile dysfunction and changes in orgasm. Other possible side effects may include fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, joint or muscle pain, loss of muscle mass, liver problems and impacts on your blood (like high blood pressure, anemia, high blood sugar and high cholesterol), hot flashes, bone thinning (osteoporosis), weight gain, mood swings and breast changes.
Your care team can tell you about the side effects that are most common with your specific treatment. We may have medicines to prevent or relieve side effects or be able to suggest other ways to manage them. For example, medicines can help with hot flashes and bone thinning. Diet and exercise changes can help with bone health, weight and cholesterol.
Talk with your Fred Hutch providers about whatever you’re experiencing. We’re here to help with every aspect of your health and well-being.