Does androgen deprivation therapy treat prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer cells can use male sex hormones, especially testosterone, as growth signals. ADT lowers the amount of these hormones or blocks their action. This can slow cancer activity, shrink hormone-sensitive cancer tissue, and make other treatments more effective. ADT is a whole-body treatment, so it can reach cancer cells beyond the prostate when the treatment plan calls for that approach.

The right role for ADT depends on whether the cancer is confined to the prostate, has returned after earlier treatment, or has spread. It may be given with radiation, used before or after another treatment, or continued as part of care for cancer outside the prostate. Your team may monitor symptoms, examination findings, blood tests, and scans to judge how the plan is working.

Ask your oncology team why ADT is recommended, what other treatments are planned, and how long the intended course may be. Discuss hot flushes, reduced sexual desire, erection changes, tiredness, mood changes, and changes in muscle or bone health before treatment starts. Do not stop injections or tablets on your own; missed or delayed doses can change the treatment plan. Report troublesome effects so your team can offer practical support or adjust care.

Contact your treatment team urgently for sudden severe weakness, new confusion, chest pain, severe shortness of breath, or an allergic reaction after a medicine or injection. Seek immediate care for inability to pass urine, severe back pain with leg weakness or numbness, or loss of bladder or bowel control. These symptoms need prompt assessment and should not wait for a routine cancer appointment.

Ask whether your cancer is expected to respond to hormone suppression, whether ADT will be combined with radiation or another treatment, how response will be monitored, and what to do if a dose is missed. Ask which changes in mood, sexual health, energy, bone health, or urinary function should be reported.