When an older guy has localized prostate cancer, it’s increasingly common for him to be given hormone treatments in the hope that blocking testosterone will shut down further cancer growth. It does seem to be protective for men with localized but more aggressive cancers, when used along with surgery or radiation. But for those with slow growing cancers, hormone therapy shows little or no benefit when compared to no treatment at all, according to a new study conducted at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey.
In the face of cancer, doctors can feel uneasy doing nothing, so they may view hormone therapy as a safe precaution. But, as this study points out, hormone treatment can have serious side effects, like bone loss, impotence and increasing your risk for diabetes and heart disease.
This study was an extensive examination of the medical records of more than 19,000 prostate cancer patients age 66 or older. That it failed to show any benefit to hormone treatment may help doctors to realize that sometimes, just waiting and watching really is the best treatment.
The Anti-Aging Bottom Line: If you’re over 65 and have discovered you have a slow-growing prostate cancer which has not spread outside the prostate, ask your doctor about watchful waiting, rather than hormone therapy treatment. You may avoid serious health consequences with a “watchful waiting” approach.
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