This year an estimated 32,050 men will die from prostate cancer and more than 200,000 men will be diagnosed with the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer among men in the U.S. after skin cancer.
Prostate cancer drugs that can cause heart attack, stroke, diabetes and even sudden death must now carry labels to warn patients of their potential risks, according to a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule.
In May, the FDA first announced the drugs’ links to the health problems, saying patients taking gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists were at a small increased risk for the health complications.
“I think this was long due,” said Dr. David Samadi, vice chair of Urology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. “A lot of times the risks [of taking the medication] outweigh the benefit; as more and more patients read about side effects, they will choose surgery over radiation.”
Not only are the drugs bad especially for men with heart problems, but they induce symptoms of “male menopause,” he said, causing depression, fatigue and weight gain. These changes occur naturally as men age and their testosterone drops, but the drugs bring them on sooner, he said.
However, in very serious prostate cancer, the drugs still work wonders, said Dr. Ana Aparicio, an assistant medical oncology professor at the University of Texas’ M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
“These drugs are extremely effective for treating this disease, and in all do make people feel better,” Aparicio said.
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