Impact of bilateral orchidectomy on men with advanced carcinoma of prostate. A short communication

Abstract

The incidence of carcinoma of the prostate is increasing among the black Africans. Many more patients are however diagnosed with a late stage disease. As a result the patients are only amenable to palliative treatment in the form of androgen deprivation therapy. Bilateral orchidectomy is the treatment of choice for most of the patients mainly for financial reason. In this study we evaluated the impact of bilateral orchidectomy on patients who were treated for advanced carcinoma of the prostate. A structured questionnaire was administered to a consecutive series of patients attending our out-patient follow up clinic after bilateral orchidectomy for advanced prostate cancer. Fifty –six patients responded. The mean age of the patients was 69.9years. All the patients presented with features of an advanced disease. After orchidectomy the most common complications were impotence in 42 (72%) patients and hot flushes in 40 (71.4%). Fifty- four of the 56 patients (96.4%) were satisfied with bilateral orchidectomy. The study showed that though bilateral Orchidectomy has unpleasant complications, it was well accepted by many of our patients when they are adequately counseled.