PISCATAWAY, N.J., July 9 (UPI) -- Androgen deprivation therapy, which shuts off male hormones known to promote prostate cancer, doesn't increase survival in older men, U.S. researchers say.

A team of investigators at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey said that for the past decade, androgen deprivation therapy has become a popular alternative to surgery, radiation or conservative management.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that after hormone therapy was administered for an average of 18 months to men age 66 or older, the treatment did not show any increase in the overall survival rate compared to conservative management, in which an older man will forgo treatment and undergo regular assessment in order to preserve his quality of life.

The research utilized information from 19,271 men, with a median age of 77, who were diagnosed with prostate cancer that did not spread beyond the prostate from 1992 to 2002, and had their history followed through 2006. The study team notes the results could differ for younger men.