Hormonal Therapy After Prostatectomy May Increase Cardiovascular Death

Men who receive androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) after undergoing prostatectomy for prostate cancer may be at increased risk for cardiovascular death, reports an industry-funded study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Researchers examined outcomes among nearly 5000 patients who had been treated for localized prostate cancer; two-thirds had undergone radical prostatectomy, while the rest received nonsurgical therapy. Overall, 20% also received ADT (median duration, 4 months).
During a median follow-up of 4 years, ADT use was associated with increased risk for cardiovascular death among prostatectomy patients (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.6). For patients treated nonsurgically, a higher 5-year estimate of cardiovascular death with ADT use, observed only in patients 65 or older, did not achieve statistical significance.
The authors say their findings "underscore the importance of careful cardiovascular evaluation and intervention before initiating ADT in patients with localized prostate cancer."