Men being treated for prostate cancer through commonly used Androgen deprivation therapy are at a risk of suffering from cognitive impairments, a new study by Moffitt Cancer Center has revealed.
According to the research, 15 to 70 per cent of people who are treated using variety of therapies, including radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy could end up with cognitive impairments. Signs of cognitive impairment include forgetfulness, inability to concentrate, problems recalling information, trouble multi-tasking and becoming slower at processing information.
Previous studies have looking into the side effect of therapies in breast cancer patients, but very few have looked into the cognitive impairment aspect following androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for men being treated prostate cancer. The latest study places men on androgen deprivation therapy at greater odds of experiencing impaired cognitive function within six months to one year after therapy.
One of the most commonly used therapies – Androgen deprivation therapy – is offered to an estimated 44 per cent of men with prostate cancer at some point during their treatment. The ultimate goal of the ADT is to block the male hormones, including testosterone, from stimulating the growth of the prostate cancer cells.
In the latest study, researchers used formal tests to compare the cognitive ability of 58 prostate cancer patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy to 84 prostate cancer patients who did not receive ADT, and to 88 men without cancer. Researchers found that men treated with ADT were 70 per cent more likely to experience cognitive impairment at six months, and more than twice as likely to experience cognitive impairment at the one year time point.
The researchers also reported for the first time a possible genetic link among those individuals who experience cognitive impairment during androgen deprivation therapy. They found that patients who have a particular version of a gene called GNB3 were 14 times more likely to suffer from cognitive problems following androgen deprivation therapy.
“Studies like ours show the importance of identifying genetic predictors of cognitive impairment. This information can be used to further personalize cancer care based on patients’ unique characteristics, and to find patients who may be prone to be intolerant of this standard type of treatment” said Mayer Fishman, M.D., Ph.D., senior member of Moffitt’s Genitourinary Oncology Program.
The results of this study may have implications for physicians trying to decide on the best therapeutic options for their patients. “The risk of cognitive impairment should be considered when deciding whether or not to receive androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer,” said Brian Gonzalez, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the Health Outcomes and Behavior Program at Moffitt.
