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One prostate therapy, low side-effect risk

Posted on: Tuesday, 28 April 2009, 18:22 CDT

Prostate cancer patients treated to decrease testosterone increase their risk of developing bone- and heart-related side effects, U.S. researchers said.

Androgen deprivation therapy -- medical treatments that decrease testosterone levels -- are effective therapies for men with prostate cancer. However, they can cause a variety of side effects, including skeletal and cardiovascular complications, sexual dysfunction, periodontal disease and mood disorders.

Lockwood Taylor of the University of Texas Health Science Center and colleagues analyzed the literature related to side effects from ADT published from 1996 to mid-2008. Fourteen 14 studies were suitable for analysis.

The researchers found men treated with ADT had an increased risk of bone fractures and heart-related death, although the absolute risk for both was low. For bone fractures, there was a 23 percent increased risk compared to prostate cancer patients who did not undergo the treatment.

The absolute risk of fracture among ADT-exposed men was 7.2 per 100 person years. For heart-related death, the increased risk among ADT-exposed men was 17 percent higher compared to other prostate cancer patients. However, because the baseline risk is low, the increase translated to an additional one-to-two deaths per 1,000 men who received ADT.

The study, published online ahead of print in the June 1 issue of Cancer, said the risks of this therapy is low, however, preventive treatments may further reduce the risk of serious adverse outcomes.

Source: United Press International

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