Prostate Cancer Patients with Heart Disease Should Avoid Hormone Therapy

An important part of the treatment for prostate cancer is hormone therapy. The therapy is used to reduce the levels of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, which causes the cancer to shrink or slows down its growth, making it easier to treat with radiation. However, a new study suggests the therapy is too risky for men with certain types of heart disease.

The study found that for men who had congestive heart failure or heart attack as a result of coronary artery disease, the hormone therapy in addition to brachytherapy almost doubled the risk of death.

Patients without heart disease or who had only one risk factor for coronary artery disease were not found to be at higher risk for fatality with the hormone treatment. Nor were patients with other risk factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

The recommendation from the study's authors is that men with heart disease seek alternatives to hormone therapy, such as external beam radiation or prostatectomy.

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