Prostate Cancer Prostate Cancer Treatment

Prostate Therapy May Harm Gums, Bones: Study Says

(iVillage Total Health) - Men who undergo androgen deprivation therapy to treat prostate cancer may be a greater risk of developing gum disease, a new study concluded.

The prostate is a walnut-size male reproductive gland located in front of the rectum. Prostate cancer is growth of cancerous cells in the glandular cells of the prostate. Symptoms include painful urination, difficulty urinating or pain in the pelvic region. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 218,000 cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in 2007 and nearly 27,000 men are likely to die from the disease.

Men are often counseled to take a watch and wait approach to treating prostate cancer because it is usually a slow growing cancer. However, some men may be placed on hormone therapy to reduce the level of male hormones and slow the growth or shrink the size of a tumor. Male hormones such as testosterone encourage the growth of many prostate tumors. One of the hormone therapies, called androgen deprivation therapy, may have side effects that include anemia, decreased sex drive, memory loss, weight gain, hot flashes and osteoporosis.

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh studied 68 men with prostate cancer: 41 taking androgen deprivation therapy and 27 not receiving the treatment. All underwent periodontal examinations before and after treatment to establish the existence and severity of gum disease, inflammation and infection of the gums, connective tissue and bones supporting and surrounding the teeth.

The study found that 81 percent of the participants receiving androgen deprivation therapy showed signs of gum disease, while only 3.8 percent of the men not receiving the therapy had gum disease. Even when controlling for race, smoking history or previous periodontal treatment, the men on the therapy were more than three times more likely to have gum disease than men not on the therapy, researchers said.

They noted that bone mineral density—the traditional method of determining bone loss from osteoporosis—was not significantly different between the two groups of men. Erosion of the bones supporting the teeth may be one explanation for the increased incidence of gum disease, but the bone mineral density levels were the same in the two groups. The researchers concluded that more studies are needed to confirm their results and possibly find methods to prevention gum disease in men undergoing the prostate treatment.

Results of the study were published in the March issue of the Journal of Urology.

Copyright 2007 iVillage Total Health.