[Aspects for hormone therapy in prostate cancer]

At present the antiandrogenic hormone therapy is a main form of the treatment of the carcinoma of the prostate. It is a palliative treatment. With reference to the testosterone metabolism the extra- and intraprostatic effect is explained. The present state of the hormone receptor research is critically explained, and by reason of the still uncertain prognosis of the effectiveness of the hormone treatment the necessity of a curative therapy (radical operation, radiotherapy with curative aim) is evident.