Intermittent hormonal therapy for prostate cancer

Abstract

Intermittent hormonal therapy (IHT) for prostate cancer aims to minimize treatment-related side-effects, to improve overall quality of life, to reduce the cost of care, and possibly to delay progression to castration-resistant prostate cancer. With preclinical evidence suggesting a potential benefit for IHT in terms of time to androgen independence, with phase II and phase III studies producing optimistic results, and with the potential for reductions in cost and complications, IHT has become a popular modality of therapy around the globe. In the near future intermittent therapy will have place in the treatment strategy in the management of prostate cancer, particularly on men with locally advanced disease.