While the prospect of prostate cancer is never met with eager expectation it no longer needs to be met with the same grim determination and certainty of doom that greeted it in recent years. In fact, now, there are more options available for treatment than ever before. One of those options is using drugs that block cycle of DHT.  This is possible because we are beginning to detect prostate cancer much earlier. Doctors are testing for it more routinely and testing methods have improved greatly in the past few years.

This form of treatment works by preventing the body from producing testosterone, which is widely believed to stimulate the creation and spread of cancer cells. It also prevents the hormone from making its way into the cancer cells.

Many physicians use a combination of this type of treatment along with radiation in hopes of treating the cancer as well as slowing the growth and preventing the spread of prostate cancer to other areas outside the prostate. It is sometimes used to simply shrink the size of the tumors or cancer so that radiation will be more likely to be fully effective.

Some of the drugs that block cycle of production for testosterone are known as LH-RH. By surpassing the production of LH (luteinizing hormone) the testicles are not given the message that they need to produce testosterone. Since testosterone is the big bad contributing factor in the rampant growth of prostate cancer slowing the production slows the growth.

The end result is less DHT (dihydrotestosterone) that enables prostate cancer cells to grow and spread so quickly. With less DHT the body begins to produce GnRH (gonadotropin releasing hormone), which in turn produces LH.  It’s a loop or cycle that feeds itself. The overall goal is to limit the production of DHT. You will find plenty of treatment options that will stop this cycle altogether. Be sure to discuss each and every one with your doctor before deciding a particular course of treatment is or is not for you.

The one major problem with hormonal treatments for prostate cancer is that eventually the body builds a tolerance to them and begins returning to normal. In other words, while they are effective the effectiveness is not long lived. It is a wise plan to seek a combination of treatments that will work to not only shrink or limit the growth of the cancer but also get rid of it altogether or focus on preventing it from returning.

The two most successful hormone treatments for prostate cancer have historically been orchiectomy and GnRH agonists. Orchiectomy is often considered a last gasp type of treatment because it is so unattractive to a vast majority of men who are confronted with the option. This means that while GnRH is the more expensive of the two options, it remains the most widely prescribed.

There are several side effects to consider when it comes to hormonal treatments that stop the cycle of LH. Some of these side effects include things like: hot flashes, breast enlargement, weigh gain, sexual dysfunction or loss of interest, loss of bone mass, and impotence. These are generally related to the loss of testosterone and not the sign of a permanent condition. With GnRH agonists the symptoms may be more pronounced at first but have a tendency to level off.

When considering all of your options to treat prostate cancer one of the options will be drugs that block cycle. Consider them all with an open mind and measure the negatives against the potential benefits. There’s not really an attractive treatment option for this condition but one that works is generally preferred to doing nothing.