# Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT)

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/androgen-deprivation-therapy/  
OnCo record `androgen-deprivation-therapy` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Treatment that switches off testosterone, which most prostate cancers need in order to grow.

## Summary

Given as injections or implants that shut down the signal from the brain, as tablets that block the hormone at the cancer cell, or by removing the testicles. It is used with radiotherapy for higher-risk localised disease, for six months to three years, and continuously once the cancer has spread. It controls the cancer rather than curing it, and its effects on hot flushes, bone, heart, weight, muscle and mood last for as long as it is taken and for months to years afterwards.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-25
- Also known as: hormone therapy for prostate cancer; ADT; androgen suppression

## Sources

- NICE NG131: prostate cancer, diagnosis and management: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng131/chapter/Recommendations
- Prostate Cancer UK: how hormone therapy affects you: https://prostatecanceruk.org/prostate-information-and-support/living-with-prostate-cancer/how-hormone-therapy-affects-you
- Cancer Research UK: hormone therapy for prostate cancer: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/prostate-cancer/treatment/hormone-therapy

## Connected records

- terms: [Bipolar androgen therapy (BAT)](https://onco.cc/terms/bipolar-androgen-therapy/), [Intermittent androgen deprivation (IAD)](https://onco.cc/terms/intermittent-androgen-deprivation/), [Other-cause mortality](https://onco.cc/terms/other-cause-mortality/)
- cancers: [Prostate cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/prostate/)

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