Is This Prostate Treatment Destroying Your Brain?!
Being diagnosed with prostate cancer can be one of the most terrifying moments of your life.
So when doctors suggest aggressive treatment, many patients are more than happy to go along… despite the risks.
They just want the cancer out of them… which is understandable.
But this is a moment to take charge of your care and be incredibly mindful of everything that’s going into your body.
Because one prostate cancer treatment in particular can cause serious, long-term damage to your brain.
And some drugs are far worse than others.
If you or someone you love has been treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer, you know it’s absolutely brutal.
It’s sometimes referred to as “chemical castration.”
ADT blocks male hormones such as testosterone, with the goal of slowing or stopping the growth of cancer cells.
Now, the sexual side effects of ADT are well known… and awful. Plenty of guys completely lose the ability to perform – and don’t recover it after treatment ends.
But the effects are your brain can be pretty serious, too, because testosterone plays a vital role in how well our brains function.
A recent study out of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School looked at two common ADT drugs — enzalutamide and darolutamide — and how they affected brain function over 24 weeks.
It turned out enzalutamide was twice as harmful… but that’s just part of the story. Because they were both bad.
Patients on enzalutamide saw their cognitive performance decrease more than 36% in 24 weeks, compared to about 16% for darolutamide.
So, obviously, if you’re on enzalutamide, it’s worth asking your doctor about changing drugs.
But, honestly, does even a 16% dip in cognitive performance sound appealing to you?
Before agreeing to ADT, it’s always a good idea to get a second opinion. While it can be life-saving, there is emerging research questioning its use for lots of guys.
For example, a meta-analysis out of UCLA earlier this year looked at data for more than 6,000 men. Researchers found that for men with low PSA levels after prostate surgery, ADT did not extend lives.
After 10 years, 83.6% of men survived with radiation treatment alone, compared with 84.3% who also received hormone therapy. So, basically, there was no difference.
This is why it’s so important to take charge of your cancer care, and never just be a passive participant. Know what’s going in your body and know your options.
A little education can go a long way toward making the most difficult fight of your life a little easier.
View Sources
Bassett, M. (2026, May 22). Prostate Cancer Drug Linked to Lower Risk of Cognitive Decline. MedPage Today. https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/asco/121394
Bassett, M. (2026, February 27). Study questions use of prostate cancer hormone therapy in certain cases—Adding hormone therapy to postoperative radiotherapy did not improve OS for most patients. MedPage Today. https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/mgucs/120075
