What Increases Your Risk?

Unhealthy habits can make it more likely for you to have harmful effects from androgen deprivation therapy, for example:

• Poor diet (including too much salt, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sugar)
• Lack of exercise
• Smoking

Also, if you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes, not treating those conditions could increase your risk for cardiovascular problems from ADT.

If you have known heart problems, such as coronary artery disease, plaque and blockage of heart arteries, or if you have had a heart attack, you may have a higher risk of a cardiac event in the first year undergoing ADT. Also, in some cases certain types of ADT may be better for your heart, so it is very important to talk with your cancer doctor (oncologist) about your heart health before starting ADT.