[Prostatic hypertrophy and prostate cancer]

Synthetic steroidal hormone has been used as the antiandrogens for prostatic hypertrophy, and prostate cancer. In prostate cancer, antiandrogens are defined as substances which prevent androgens from expressing their activity at target sites and divided into steroidal and nonsteroidal antiandrogens. Steroidal antiandrogens have negative feedback inhibition of the hypothalamus, resulting the low plasma concentration of testosterone. Nonsteroidal antiandrogens have antiandrogenic effect in both hypothalamus and target tissues, negative feedback is inhibited and the plasma concentration of testosterone is high. Antiandrogen is generally used with LH-RHa for the neoadjuvant or adjuvant hormonal therapy of surgery and irradiation which is named maximam androgen blockade.