Featured Article
Academic Journal
Main Category: Prostate / Prostate Cancer
Also Included In: Men’s Health; Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 04 Mar 2013 – 3:00 PST
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Delivering oestrogen through skin patches may offer a safer and easier way to treat prostate cancer than current hormone therapies,
says new research from the UK.
The study, published online in Lancet Oncology this week, finds that HRT (hormone replacement therapy) patches normally given to
women to treat symptoms of menopause, lowered testosterone in men with prostate cancer to the same extent as LHRHa injections.
The Cancer Research UK trial was led by researchers at Imperial College London and the Medical Research Council (MRC) Clinical Trials Unit in
London.
Lead author Ruth Langley, from the MRC Clinical Trials Unit, says in a statement:
“These promising new findings suggest that we might be able to use oestrogen patches or an oestrogen gel to treat prostate cancer without
significantly increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.”
In many cases, testosterone can speed up prostate cancer that is starting to spread. Treatments that reduce levels of testosterone in advanced
prostate cancer can slow tumor growth and even shrink it.
Current treatment relies on injecting LHRHa drugs to lower the amount of testosterone made by the testicles. But these can lead to serious side
effects, including osteoporosis, bone
Read more at: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/257150.php
