Posted 9/14/2024 7:40 PM (GMT -5)
JBlue, my side effects were moderate and typical. Some weight gain, hot flashes and fatigue. All were effectively countered through diet and exercise, so were more inconvenience than anything. The potential effect on cardio vascular disease has more to do with the typical weight gain and statistically is not a great increased risk factor. I have no indication of any cardio problems from the ADT.
The drugs Lupron and Eligard act to suppress testosterone production. Most PCa cells thrive on testosterone and without it many will stop their activity and division. After a certain time of inactivity many will die of programmed cell death known as apoptosis. Some may linger and then reawaken when ADT is stopped. However the earlier they can be starved when they are few in number and not developed into a tumor with blood supply, many will be killed. While the official word is that ADT does not cure the cancer, several renowned medical oncologists have documented men whose disease was cured and/or went into very long and durable remissions through the use of ADT. It really depends on the specifics of the man and their cancer as no two are the same. There are some 24 known strains of PCa and some are more sensitive to ADT than others.
One of the toughest things to realize is that every man and his individual cancer is unique and different from any other man. Two men can have what seem to be identical diagnoses regarding Gleason, tumor burden, PSA, etc. and then pursue the exact same treatment only to end up with different results. One of our most salient members, Zufus, referred to this as the PCA Twilight Zone. He fought advanced stage PCa in many ways, some non-traditional and controversial, for many years and always had sound and studied information, advice and support for all of us.