Prostate Cancer Treatment May Increase Diabetes, Heart Disease Risks

Filed in archive Research on October 27, 2006

Medical experts caution that a popular treatment for prostate cancer--androgen deprivation--may increase your risks of developing Type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease. This is a result of the treatment increasing both fat stores and insulin levels.

The researchers' findings appear in the September 20th issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Over a third of men were treated with a GnRH Agonist, the report indicates. Use of these drugs increased the risks of diabetes by 44%, coronary heart disease by 16%, myocardial infarction by 11%, and sudden cardiac death by 16% (p < 0.05 for all).

Is this a case when the treatment may be as bad as the disease, or is the risk small enough to deem acceptable? In either case, researching all possible outcomes of any health care you are receiving is crucial.

(Photo Source: NY Health Department)