Tailoring of hormonal therapy in prostate cancer

With an increasing interest in the early introduction of hormonal therapy in patients who cannot be cured of their prostate cancer by radical surgery or radiotherapy, there is a need to consider the most patient-friendly, effective hormonal therapy at each stage of the disease, thereby hoping not only to improve the quantity of the patient's life but also to maintain a reasonable quality of life. With the development of new hormonal therapies such as non-steroidal androgens, LHRH-antagonists and differentiation agents, urologists need to look again at the hormonal status of their patients before prescribing an appropriate therapy. There is increasing evidence that at certain stages of the disease patients are prepared to trade off the length of life for improved quality and bearing this in mind there needs to be some substantial re-thinking over the most appropriate therapy, particularly at early stages of the patient's disease and following progression to the later stages. Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases (2000) 3, 21-27