Prostate cancer can be caused by different factors. One of them is believed to be related to the production of testosterone in the body, and the fact that testosterone leads to the cancerous tumor to continue to grow and spread in the body. Therefore, one of the prostate cancer therapies available consists of hormone therapy and it has showed to help patients who have hormone-dependent prostate cancer.

This type of treatment consists of decreasing the testosterone levels in the body in order to suppress tumor growth or spreading. This is achieved by blocking the testosterone production or blocking its effects with the presence of testosterone mimics that do not lead to the same tumor growth effects. This therapy can lead to prostate cancer reduction of approximately 80% to 90%, but the effects usually last less than three years. Even though this therapy can be effective, there are potential side effects, such as nausea, osteoporosis, anemia and erectile dysfunction.

Hormone therapy is most commonly done on advanced cases when the tumor is no longer confined to the prostate gland, and alternative treatment options like radiotherapy or surgical removal of the gland are not feasible. On the other hand, some patients are resistant to hormonal therapy and this treatment option is not effective.