Androgen deprivation therapy is linked with an increased risk of thromboembolic events, new research shows, prompting a warning that thousands of men may have been “needlessly harmed” as a result.
ADT raised the risk of thromboembolic events such as deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism or arterial embolism by 56%, a US study of almost 150,000 nonmetastatic prostate cancer patients aged over 65 found (CI 1.50-1.61).
At four years follow-up, 16,000 patients had experienced at least one thromboembolic event – more than half of whom had received ADT.
Furthermore, longer duration of ADT was linked with a greater number of events. For instance, ADT exposure for less than a year raised the risk by 40%, while exposure for more than three years doubled the...
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