Hormonal Therapy for Prostate Cancer: When to Use It

Androgen deprivation has been the standard treatment for advanced prostate cancer. With the development of antiandrogen drugs, combination hormonal therapy achieving "total androgen blockade" has been demonstrated to be superior to monotherapy for patients with low-tumor-burden metastatic disease. Combination therapy is now being used more aggressively in locally advanced disease, with phase II studies suggesting benefit as measured by prolonged disease-free survival. Phase III randomized, controlled trials currently are being conducted.