FDA reviewing safety of anti-hormone treatments due to links with heart disease and diabetes.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that it is investigating the safety of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists, a class of drugs used to treat prostate cancer, after evidence linking them with a rise in the risk of heart

The hypothalamus produces the hormone GnRH, which in turn signals the pituitary to secrete two other hormones, LH and FSH, into the bloodstream. LH stimulates testosterone production in the testes. Testosterone boosts prostate cell growth, including the growth of tumors in the prostate.

disease and diabetes.

It’s not the first time concerns have been raised about the use of hormone therapy to treat prostate cancer—a 2009 study suggested it raises the risk of heart disease by as much as 25 percent, while other research suggests it may double the risk of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors linked to the development of heart disease, as well as cause declines in bone density. …

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