When is Hormone Therapy a Solution?

You may have heard of hormone therapy as a treatment option for prostate cancer, but what is it and when is it an option to seriously consider?

These are not simple questions to answer, for many factors need to be considered prior to choosing this treatment option. In general, hormonal therapy is used when there is evidence that the cancer is no longer confined to the prostate (and sometimes to shrink the gland prior to removal or radiotherapy).

Commonly hormone treatment is used for men in whom radical treatments have not succeeded in curing the disease, ie following radical surgery or radiotherapy. Often our best indicator of recurrent prostate cancer growth is from a rising PSA level.

The exact timing of hormone treatment in response to a rising PSA level is variable and based to some extent on the speed of tumor growth and the sites of the tumor.

Hormone treatment is also the principal therapy when the prostate cancer cells have escaped from the prostate to grow in other sites of the body. In this case, the treatment may be started soon after this diagnosis is made, although on occasions a delay in starting does not pose serious risk to the patient.

Hormone therapy may also be used to shrink the tumor prior to or in conjunction with other treatments. There is some evidence that it may be beneficial when used with radiotherapy, however, its use in conjunction with surgery is controversial (if proposed, this should be discussed with a specialist). Once the prostate treatment has been completed, the hormone treatment is usually stopped and the response observed, by following the PSA levels.