Effects of Testosterone-Lowering Drugs in Patients With Prostate Cancer

Heather S. Jim, PhD, associate member in the Health Outcomes and Behavioral Department, Moffitt Cancer Center, discusses the effects of testosterone-lowering drugs used as treatment for patients with prostate cancer.

Androgen-deprivation therapy is associated with several side effects that include depression, cognitive impairment, fatigue, loss of muscle mass, and inflammation, as well as cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular mortality, Jim explains.

Regarding depression, research out of Moffitt Cancer Center suggests that 40% of patients experience clinically significant depressive symptoms after approximately 6 months of ADT. Jim adds that it is important to treat depression not only to help patients feel better, but because depression is associated with increased mortality in patients with prostate cancer.