Again, prostate cancer confusion continues to reign. A recent study reported at the ASTRO (American Society for Radiation Oncology) conference claims that the addition of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in men with clinically localized prostate cancer was not associated with increased cardiovascular mortality.
According to Jason A. Efstathiou, MD, Ph.D.l, of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues. in a multivariate analysis of data from a 1,979 man study men receiving hormonal therapy with radiation had no increase in death from cardiac causes compared with men treated with radiation alone (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.69 to 1.26, P=0.64. All subjects were over the age of 70 years.
This study was published as an abstract and presented at the ASTRO conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
“Most, though not all, population-based analyses have suggested that the gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists are associated with a risk of coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, and diabetes in men with prostate cancer,” said Efstathiou. The FDA asked manufacturers of these drugs to add safety labeling to that effect, significant controversy remains surrounding the potential effects of the GnRH agonists on cardiovascular death, he explained.
At baseline, the men randomized to radiation p