For patients with prostate cancer, use of androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related death, according to a study published in The Aging Male. Researchers examined the risk for CVD mortality in a retrospective cohort study of 13,343 patients aged 40-79 diagnosed with prostate cancer between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2016. Participants exclusively used gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists. Compared with ADT nonusers, patients treated with ADT had an increased risk for CVD death (HR, 2.14). Furthermore, ADT users had increased risks for death from ischemic heart disease and stroke (HRs, 1.42 and 1.70, respectively). The risk for CVD-related mortality was even higher among ADT users aged 70-79 (HR, 4.78). “Hormone therapy is often used for patients with prostate cancer, but more research is now needed to gain a better understanding of the overall risks and benefits of this treatment,” the study authors said in a statement.
