Hormone plaster is a safe method of treatment for prostate cancer

The scientists from Imperial College London announced that the plaster, emitting estrogen into blood, is a relatively cheap and safe alternative to the standard treatment of prostate cancer.

According to the experts, estrogen allows to reduce the concentration of testosterone, which activates cancer growth. The specialists have compared the safety of the plaster and the injections in 254 patients. It was found that the plasters had caused fewer side effects, which had expressed themselves in symptoms similar to menopause manifestations. Estrogen and testosterone are very similar. But if a person administers estrogen in tablets, it can load the liver and provoke thrombus formation, heart attacks and strokes. There are also LHRHa injections (gonadotropin-releasing hormone). This agent lowers both estrogen and testosterone levels. But they threaten with bone thinning and diabetes.The plasters allow avoiding these unpleasant consequences, though, the scientists state that it is still necessary to study a sustained effect. At the moment the plasters are being tested on 600 volunteers. The aim is to find out, whether the plasters can suppress growth of tumor as ordinary methods of treatment do.

Source: MedDaily