Functional and metabolic complications of androgen deprivation therapy. By Herrera-Caceres and Castillejos-Molina 2014
Key sentence from the paper: “Side effects are frequent and can have serious implications in quality of life or even mortality.”
For the full abstract, see: http://www.wjgnet.com/2219-2816/pdf/v3/i3/227.pdf
Commentary: This is yet another comprehensive review of the adverse effects of ADT. These reviews seem to keep on coming…
This review is easy to read and covers all the bases that we address in the ADT book. Among the new things discussed here is the idea of a “frailty syndrome (FS)” in older men. FS, as the authors define it, is of the result of a cluster of well-recognized side effects of ADT, such as loss of muscle mass and fatigue. Based on the authors’ definition of FS, we are not at all surprised to see FS suggested as a side effect of ADT.
The authors are explicit in their recommendations for dealing with cognitive decline with ADT; they recommend transdermal estradiol.
The authors also cite some data from androgen-deprived men, without prostate cancer, which suggests that ADT may affect men’s personality. Specifically they suggest that it may increase agreeableness, but this has yet to be assessed for prostate cancer patients on ADT in properly controlled studies.
Herrera-Caceres, J. O., Castillejos-Molina, R. A. Functional and metabolic complications of androgen deprivation therapy. World Journal of Clinical Urology. 2014,3:227-37.