The Effect of Androgen Deprivation Therapy on Glucose Metabolism in Prostate Cancer Patients

Abstract

Many observational studies have evaluated the potential risks of taking gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist, a form of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), to treat prostate cancer. These studies have concluded that there may be an increased chance of developing adult onset diabetes mellitus due to undergoing this therapy. However, these studies have failed to provide adequate biological evidence to support these claims. The purpose of this research project is to determine if this type of therapy increases the risk of developing diabetes mellitus. Serum and whole blood samples were drawn for testing on prostate cancer patients at the beginning of treatment and again after three months of GnRH agonist therapy. Five analytes were measured to provide an overview of glucose metabolism in hopes of showing a correlation between ADT and diabetes mellitus. Prostate cancer patients were asked to provide blood samples which were tested for 1) fructosamine, 2) total protein, 3) hemoglobin A1c, 4) testosterone and 5) dehydroepiandosterone-sulfate (DHEAS). If ADT does increase the risk of diabetes mellitus, these analytes will indicate an impaired glucose metabolism at three months compared to before the treatment was initiated.