Prostate cancer is a relatively slow-growing from of cancer that originates in the prostate, a gland responsible for the production of seminal fluid. Staging follows along the same lines as any other form of the disease, ranging from stage I to stage IV, based on the rate of metastasis. This staging often dictates your treatment options. As the cancer progresses into stages II through IV, a form of hormone therapy may be necessary.
Features
With hormone therapy, a drug or a hormone may be used to block or prevent the production of testosterone. When the abnormal cells linked to prostate cancer are exposed to this hormone, they're stimulated to divide at much faster rate, causing progression of the disease. Depending on the type of drug used in treatment, the testicles can either stop producing testosterone or the cancerous cells are no longer able to use the hormone to rapidly divide.
Forms
There are two basic forms of hormone therapy: oral and intravenous. Intravenous is by far the most common, using leuprolide or goserelin to slow the progression of the disease. But your doctor may instead (or in conjunction) recommend oral tablets such as bicalutamide or nilutamide.
Benefits
The most obvious benefit with hormone therapy is an even slower progression of the disease. However, this form of treatment may also cause the malignant tumor to shrink in size, making other treatments, such as radiation, much more effective. Hormone therapy alone is typically used as a palliative form of therapy, which means it's being used to reduce the intensity of your symptoms and improve the quality of your life, not cure the disease.
Misconceptions
Though hormone therapy is often beneficial in treating prostate cancer, it does have one major drawback. It doesn't necessarily cure the disease. Most of the time, the deprivation of testosterone can go only so far in ridding the body of cancer. You usually still have some abnormal cells in your system that will adapt to the lack of this hormone, and the cancer will eventually begin to progress again. For hormone therapy to cure cancer, it really needs to be used in conjunction with radiation.
Side Effects
As you go through hormone therapy, it's common to experience side effects of treatment. One of the most common is intermittent hot flashes, a sudden escalation in body temperature that may cause some flushing and sweating. It's also possible to suffer changes in your weight and muscle mass as well as erectile dysfunction, lowered libido, breast enlargement, nausea and diarrhea.
