Prostate therapy doesn't up heart risk

BOSTON, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Treating prostate cancer patients by blocking hormonal activity does not appear to increase their risk of cardiovascular disease, U.S. researchers say.

Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital said that since the male hormones -- androgens -- can accelerate the development of prostate cancer, reducing their activity is a standard part of treating the disease.

GnRH agonist therapy is routinely administered to men whose cancer has spread beyond the prostate gland, and its use in patients whose tumors appear confined to the prostate is becoming more common.

The researchers analyzed data from a 1987-92 clinical trial run by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, in which almost 1,000 patients were treated for locally advanced prostate cancer with either the GnRH agonist goserelin plus radiation therapy or radiation therapy alone.

In the 10 years following completion of the clinical trial, more than half the participants died from various causes. Of the 574 deaths, 117 were from cardiovascular disease, but whether or not patients had received the GnRH agonist apparently had no effect on the risk of cardiovascular death, the study found.

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, established cardiac risk factors -- including heart disease or diabetes that existed prior to GnRH agonist treatment -- appeared to increase the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.