Hormone therapy could increase cancer risk
Men who undergo hormone therapy for prostate tumours have a bigger chance of developing intestinal cancer, according to a study.
Researchers at the cantonal hospital of St Gallen examined the files of 108,000 men suffering from prostate tumours in the United States from 1993 to 2002.
They concluded that patients following hormone therapy to fight the tumour had a greater risk of developing intestinal cancer.
Out of 1,000 men, 4.4 patients taking hormones developed the illness within a year compared with only 3.7 patients who weren’t taking them.
Testicular ablation, an outdated method of treating prostate cancer, is even worse, according to the study, as 6.3 patients out of 1,000 develop intestinal cancer after an ablation.
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