Click here to narrow your options by answering a few questions.

Prostate Cancer
Treatment Guide™

Treatment
Description
Prostate Cancer
Patient Profile
Prostate Cancer
Treatments
Prostate Cancer
Survival Rates
Prostate Cancer
Side Effects
Therapy News View Procedures Share Your Experience

Hormone
Therapy

Prostate Hormone Therapy

Prostate hormone therapy suppresses, blocks, or eliminates testosterone to slow the tumor’s growth. Prostate Hormone
Therapy

Prostate hormone therapy suppresses, blocks, or eliminates testosterone to slow the tumor’s growth.

click to learn more

Learn More

Hormone Therapy Uses

Therapy can slow the tumor’s growth or lower a PSA level; it may be used before, during, or after other treatment. Hormone Therapy Uses

Therapy can slow the tumor’s growth or lower a PSA level; it may be used before, during, or after other treatment.

click to learn more

Learn More

Shrinking the Prostate

Surgical castration patients return home the day of the surgery. Treatment is given orally or by injection. Shrinking the Prostate

Surgical castration patients return home the day of the surgery. Treatment is given orally or by injection.

click to learn more

 

Hormone
Therapy Effects

Hormone therapy does not destroy cancer but research has shown effectiveness in enhancing other treatments. Hormone
Therapy Effects

Hormone therapy does not destroy cancer but research has shown effectiveness in enhancing other treatments.

click to learn more

Learn More

Hormone Therapy
Side Effects

May cause impotence, weight gain, hot flashes, fatigue, loss of muscle mass; and hormone “flare” in LHRH use. Hormone Therapy
Side Effects

May cause impotence, weight gain, hot flashes, fatigue, loss of muscle mass; and hormone “flare” in LHRH use.

click to learn more

Learn More

Prostate News

Click here for the latest news on Hormone Therapy.Prostate News

Click here for the latest news on Hormone Therapy.

click to learn more

Learn More

Hormone Therapy
Videos

Click here to view Hormone Therapy procedures. Hormone Therapy
Videos

Click here to view Hormone Therapy procedures.

click to learn more

Learn More

Hormone Therapy
Experiences


Click here to share your Hormone Therapy experiences.Hormone Therapy
Experiences

Click here to share your Hormone Therapy experiences.

click to learn more


Learn More

Brachytherapy

Chemotherapy

Cryotherapy & Cryosurgery

Radiation
Therapy

Prostatectomy

Robotic Prostatectomy

Watchful
Waiting

Complementary
and
Alternative Medicine

High Intensity
Focused
Ultrasound (HIFU)

Emerging Technologies

 

Prostate Cancer Hormone Therapy – Combined Androgen Blockade

The use of an anti-androgen and a form of castration is called Combined Androgen Blockade or CAB. Combined androgen blockade may also be called combined hormone blockade or total hormone blockade. During prostate cancer hormone therapy, the most common form of CAB is an anti-androgen which is started a few weeks before a Luteinizing Hormone-releasing Hormone agonist (LHRH). LHRH agonists by themselves will cause hormone flare which can be painful, or deadly, or both for patients with advanced prostate cancer with distant bone metastasis.

The hormone flare triggered by the LHRH agonist is a reaction that causes the body to flood with testosterone for 7 to 10 days. Since testosterone can help prostate cancer grow, many patients, even those in earlier stages of less aggressive prostate cancer, may prefer to avoid hormone flare. Anti – androgens block the body’s ability to use testosterone, so the flood of testosterone never reaches the prostate gland. This form of combined androgen blockade is common for patients in later stages of prostate cancer. Hormone flare is not dangerous to early stage prostate cancer patients nor will hormone flare incite a more aggressive growth of their prostate cancer.

Castration, both the surgical orchiectomy and the medical LHRH agonist and LHRH antagonist, will eliminate only 90 to 95 percent of the body’s testosterone. Some doctors may recommend that their patients opt to ablate 100% of the testosterone. Castration affects only the testosterone produced by the testicles, not the adrenal glands located near the kidneys. Taking an anti-androgen in addition to surgical or chemical castration will prevent the prostate cancer from taking up the remaining 5 to 10 percent of testosterone.

Sometimes, when orchiectomy, LHRH agonists, or LHRH antagonists are no longer effective for slowing the growth of prostate cancer, the use of an anti-androgen will keep prostate cancer hormone therapy effective for a longer period of time. The anti-androgen withdrawal effect is where the prostate cancer cells who have adapted to no testosterone are stopped by the reintroduction of testosterone. Anti-androgen withdrawal may have some effect with patients who are using combined androgen blockade.

Estrogen is sometimes used with prostate cancer hormone therapies. The use of lower dose estrogen may lessen the severity or the occurrence of side effects caused by castration or anti-androgens.

As a prostate cancer treatment, there is much controversy surrounding the use of combined androgen blockade (CAB). There are studies that suggest that patients who opt for combined androgen blockade as their prostate cancer treatment have slightly higher overall survival rates than those who have used castration or anti –androgens alone. These studies also indicate that combined androgen blockade has higher biochemical relapse free survival rates when compared to anti-androgens or castration alone. Other studies suggest the opposite: patients who opt for combined androgen blockade have a slightly lower overall survival rates than those who opt for castration or anti – androgens alone.

 
 
 
 

 
Prostate Cancer Patient Discussion Group

 

 
 
 

Coping with Prostate Cancer      Are You at Risk for Prostate Cancer?      Prostate Cancer News     Glossary

 Home     Contact Us     Disclaimer    Privacy Policy     Resources     Add URL      Site Map