Hormonal therapy acts to suppress testosterone. The tumor is androgen or testosterone dependent. By performing and orchiectomy or by giving LHRH agonists, over 90 percent the testosterone is eliminated. Orchietomy is the surgical removal of the testicles. Medical castration is the use of LHRH agonists.
Chemical castration seems to have gained in popularity among men.
It is reversible, and therefore can be stopped if a man decided to discontinue therapy. I had a chance to hear Dr. Bostwick talk about prostate cancer pathology. He said that it can be like several different diseases in that it can have different grades within the prostate gland. I thought that was interesting as he showed us a picture. There were about 4 or 5 areas of prostate cancer within the gland.