Biotechnology Industry

george conklin · Guest

Hormone-blocking drugs don't help older men survive early-stage prostate
cancer, a study shows.
More men in an early stage of the disease, which is defined by its not
having spread beyond the prostate, also are being given hormone therapy even
though no studies show it is beneficial, says Grace Lu-Yao, main author of a
study in today's Journal of the American Medical Association.

None of the men in her study, in which she reviewed the records of nearly
20,000 Medicare patients with an average age of 77, had surgery or
radiation. About 40% chose hormone therapy; the rest opted for watchful
waiting.

her study shows hormone therapy isn't likely to save a man's life. About 30%
of early-stage patients survived 10 years, whether they took hormones or
opted for a "watchful waiting" approach.

"People think doing something is better than nothing, but that may not be
true," Lu-Yao says.