The FDA'a safety review of commonly used prostate cancer drugs suggests an increase the risk of diabetes and certain cardiovascular diseases in men. Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) a class of medication used to reat men with prostate cancer may increase a users risk for diabetes, hear attack, stroke and sudden death according to a preliminary analysis of several studies done by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

• Health care professionals should be aware of these potential risks and carefully weigh the benefits and risks of GnRH agonists when determining a treatment for patients with prostate cancer.
• Patients receiving a GnRH agonist should be monitored for the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
• Cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking and increases in blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and weight should be managed according to current clinical practice.
• Patients should not stop treatment with a GnRH agonist unless instructed to do so by a health care professional.

“While our review of these prostate cancer treatments is ongoing and there are some limitations to the data, FDA believes it is important to tell patients and health care professionals that there may be an increased risk of serious side effects,” said Robert Justice, M.D., director of the Division of Drug Oncology Products in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Medications in the GnRH class are marketed under the brand names Eligard, Lupron, Synarel, Trelstar, Vantas, Viadur, and Zoladex. There are also several generic products available.