Surgical castration
is also known as orchiectomy or orchidectomy and entails
the removal of a man's testicles. Surgical castration
is a type of prostate cancer hormone therapy which is
nonreversible. Historically, surgical castration was
the only type of hormone therapy available for the treatment
of prostate cancer; hormone therapy, therefore was used
only after every other treatment option had been exhausted.
Orchiectomy is still used today due to both cost and
side effects. Orchiectomy is less expensive than chemical
castration through the LHRH agonist and LHRH antagonist.
Many men also find that the side effects of orchiectomy
are also fewer and less severe than those of chemical
castration.
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