Managing Hot Flushes in Men Who Receive Androgen-Deprivation Therapy

Men with prostate cancer who undergo androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) can experience a myriad of therapy-related adverse effects but most commonly hot flushes, which most men report to have negative effects on quality of life. The pathophysiology underlying hot flushes with ADT is relatively well understood: Initiation of ADT lowers serum levels of sex hormones, leading to release of hypothalamic catecholamines (e.g., norepinephrine). The surge in catecholamines disturbs the thermoregulatory center in the hypothalamus, resulting in poorly regulated peripheral vasodilatation and hot flushes.

In contrast to the wealth of data on management of hot flushes in women who receive hormone therapy for breast cancer, prospective data comparing thera…