TriangleHEALTH PROFESSIONAL · SOURCE READING
Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) agonist therapy
Source: Prostate Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: May 14, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.
Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary.
Context: Treatment Option Overview for Prostate Cancer / Hormonal Therapy and Its Complications
LH-RH agonists, such as leuprolide, goserelin, and buserelin, lower testosterone to castrate levels. Like orchiectomy and estrogens, LH-RH agonists cause impotence, hot flashes, and loss of libido. Tumor flare reactions may occur transiently but can be prevented by antiandrogens or short-term estrogens at a low dose for several weeks.
There is some evidence that LH-RH agonists are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity or mortality, although the results are conflicting.[103-107]
Evidence (LH-RH agonists and cardiovascular disease):
In a population-based study within the Department of Veterans Affairs' system, LH-RH agonists were associated with an increased risk of diabetes as well as cardiovascular disease, including coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, sudden death, and stroke.[103-105]
A systematic evidence review and meta-analysis of eight trials (4,141 patients) of men with nonmetastatic prostate cancer who were randomly assigned to receive or not to receive LH-RH agonists found no difference in cardiovascular death rates (11.0% vs. 11.2%; RRdeath, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.79–1.10; P = .41).[108] Median follow-up in those studies was 7.6 to 13.2 years. No excess risk of LH-RH agonists was found regardless of treatment duration or patient age (median age of <70 years or ≥70 years).
Source links and citations
Publication references
Read the original reference and check its publication notices.
Preserved source evidence · Not medical advice