Types of Medication

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy may be considered for patients whose prostate cancer has returned or continued to grow and spread outside of the prostate gland and for whom hormone therapy has failed. Recent reports show that taxotere is an effective treatment for hormone resistant prostate cancer.

Pain Control

Prostate cancer may spread to other organs within your body and bones and be very painful. Pain medicine does not interfere with cancer treatments, so be sure to talk to your doctor about medicines for pain relief. Other medicines that work differently than pain medicine include bisphosphonates, which may help to slow the bone injury caused by the spread of cancer within the bones.

Hormone therapy

Since the growth of prostate cancer depends on the male hormone testosterone, reducing the amount of testosterone can cause the tumor to shrink or grow more slowly. Hormone therapy is used in patients with advanced prostate cancer or if the cancer has returned. Testosterone levels can be reduced through surgery to remove the testicles (orchiectomy), since most testosterone is manufactured there. Hormone injections and pills can also be given to reduce testosterone levels or to block its effects.

Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) analogs are given as monthly to yearly injections to decrease the production of testosterone.

Antiandrogens are given as pills to block the action of testosterone, even the small amount that is still produced by the adrenal glands after orchiectomy.

Hormone treatments may have side effects. They can cause infertility, decreased libido, hot flashes and impotence. They may also cause osteoporosis with increased risk of bone fractures. This may be neutralized by a bisphosphonate treatment such as Fosamax®, pamidronate or Zometa®.

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This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.