More than 670,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer globally every year, making it the second-most common cancer in men, after lung cancer. In the U.S., about 600,000 men are being treated with endocrine therapies for prostate cancer. What patients should do is talk about this with their doctor.

Experts said the findings could make doctors think twice before prescribing the standard hormone treatment to men with prostate cancer, particularly if they are at risk of heart disease. The research was announced Tuesday at a joint meeting of the European Cancer Organization and the European Society for Medical Oncology in Berlin.

Prostate cancer patients had a 28 percent higher relative chance of having a fatal heart attack and a 21 percent increased chance of dying from heart disease. Still, these risks were low in absolute terms: researchers estimated the hormone therapies would cause an extra 10 heart problems — like chest pain or a heart attack — a year for every 1,000 prostate cancer patients.
Previous studies have found hormone therapy given to prostate cancer patients with a history of heart disease increases their chances of dying.

Van Hemelrijck hypothesized that hormone therapy disrupts the normal circulation of testosterone in the body. Scientists think testosterone has some protective effect on the heart. Thus, hormones that interfere with testosterone could be deadly.
There is no definitive evidence, though the risk of heart problems is definitely something doctors should consider when prescribing hormone treatment.

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