Local recurrence of prostate cancer: hormone therapy

Background. The majority of patients receive HT after biochemical progression despite primary therapy of prostate cancer with curative intent. It is difficult to differentiate at a low rise in PSA level, e.g., <= 1 ng/ml, between local or systemic recurrence. Material and methods. The PSA doubling time (DT) is the most reliable surrogate parameter to decide if HT should be initiated. In practice, however, the trigger PSA is used instead. The latter is closely related to the timing of HT. A high PSA is a contraindication for local salvage therapy. Intermittent HT is apparently as effective as continuous HT and shortens the time of HT exposure. Results. Traditional HT employs a LHRH agonist, however, the side effect profile is a disadvantage due to the long duration of this treatment, e.g., sarcopenia, osteopenia, or even cognitive impairment. The alternative is nontraditional HT. nonsteroidal antiandrogen (AA) alone such as bicalutamide 150 mg or peripheral androgen blockade (AA plus 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor). Conclusion. Even after a long duration of the latter HT the side effects are less pronounced (gynecomastia) and treatable. Particularly in patients with high-risk primary tumors [Gleason score 7(4+3)-10 or an initially high PSA], nontraditional HT may be followed by secondary HT.