Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer tied to Depression

Older men who receive testosterone-suppressing therapy for prostate cancer may be at increased risk of developing depression, a new, large study suggests.
The findings are based on over 78,000 U.S. men treated for earlier-stage prostate cancer.
Researchers found that among those given hormone-suppressing therapy, 7 percent developed clinical depression in the next few years. That compared with 5 percent of men who did not have the treatment.
The findings do not prove that hormone therapy is to blame. But they do offer "pretty strong evidence" that might be the case, said senior researcher Dr. Paul Nguyen. He is director of prostate brachytherapy at Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston.
Men who were treated for six months or less, 6 percent developed depression within three years of their cancer diagnosis. That rose to 8 percent among men who were on hormone therapy for at least a year.