this treatment is that the male hormone testosterone helps prostate tumor cells thrive. Depriving the tumor cells of this hormone will often retard the tumor's growth.
Hormonal therapy can be given by removing the testicles (the body's main source of male hormone) or by giving other hormones or chemicals to shut down the body's production of testosterone or counteract its effects. Patients receiving hormonal therapy often experience dramatic relief of symptoms, which can sometimes last for years. But ultimately, the tumor returns.
All the methods used to manipulate the male hormone system will cause men to lose their desire for sex. They may also produce hot flashes.
• Removing the testicles (orchiectomy) is a simple surgical procedure that can be done under local or general
anesthesia in an outpatient department. Once this is done there is no need for further hormonal therapy. Some
men find this procedure undesirable, but the effect is the same as for other hormonal treatments. The scrotum,
the sac containing the testicles, is left in place, so the outward appearance is little changed.
• Giving men the female hormone estrogen will shut down the gland in the brain (pituitary) that stimulates the
testicles to make testosterone. The effect of estrogens on prostate cancer is similar to the effect of
orchiectomy, but the female hormone can cause breast development and breast tenderness, although this can
usually be prevented by first giving a small dose of radiotherapy to the breast area. Estrogens can also be
associated with an increased incidence of heart disease. The pills must be taken daily for life.
