Androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer does not increase cardiovascular mortality in the long term.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To determine if 6 months of neo-adjuvant androgen deprivation is associated with the long-term risk of cardiac mortality. METHODS: In the TROG 96.01 trial, 802 men with locally advanced prostate cancer were randomized to radiotherapy either alone or with 3 or 6 months of neo-adjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (NADT). Competing risk methodology was used to derive the cumulative incidence of fatal cardiac events. RESULTS: At 10 years, the cumulative incidence of fatal cardiac events for the radiation therapy alone arm was 7.54% compared to a nonstatistically significant decreased incidence of 6.44% in the 6-month NADT arm (p = 0.65). Men aged over 65 years were not at an increased risk. Additional androgen deprivation therapy given as secondary treatment at tumor progression did not confer an increased risk. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that fatal cardiac events are not more common in men receiving up to 6 months of NADT.