“My doctor informed me that I am a little bit diabetic and that I will have to make important changes to my lifestyle. Yet I am active and I eat well, although I have a sweet tooth. If I understand correctly, I have to be careful. The good news is that I am not diabetic! In fact, I haven’t received a formal diagnosis.“
You should know that our expertise is really at the level of prostate cancer (and prostate diseases), so we are not able to assess the risks of developing type 2 diabetes with the above statement.
This patient is being followed by his doctor and has been made aware of the risks of prediabetes. We would like to make him aware of the risks of developing diabetes if he is treated with hormone therapy for prostate cancer.
Medically reviewed by Marie-Lyssa Lafontaine, medical student, urology axis, University of Montreal, on 11/28/2022
Above all, what is prediabetes?
According to Health Canada, people who develop type 2 diabetes may have previously been diagnosed with prediabetes. This condition is present when blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to diagnose type 2 diabetes.
How could this have an impact on prostate cancer?
The problem is not prostate cancer. This disease will not make you graduate from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes. The risk of developing type 2 diabetes is rather linked to its treatment, more particularly hormone therapy.
By cutting testosterone, hormone therapy has an impact, among other things, on patients’ metabolism. You may notice certain changes, including the appearance of a higher sugar level during your blood glucose measurement, among others. So one of the complications of this long-term treatment could be…diabetes.
Hence the importance of informing your doctor that you are starting or following hormone treatment so that he can carry out the appropriate health checks. Indeed, it is strongly recommended to carry out a health check-up at the start of treatment followed by periodic health check-ups thereafter. The purpose of these blood tests is to detect early abnormalities in health checks that could be associated with hormone therapy and to treat them. Bring him this information sheet to find out what information is sought.
When prescribing hormone therapy
During your follow-up appointments, in person or by telephone, do not hesitate to ask your doctor how to support you in managing side effects. Helping each other will benefit everyone.
Take the time to visit each of our pages on this website, as well as our YouTube channel, in order to get familiar with the disease with our expert lectures, our section on available resources, the support that is offered to you.
Do you have any questions or concerns? Above all, do not hesitate. Contact us at 1 855 899-2873 to discuss with a nurse specializing in uro-oncology. It’s simple and free, like all our services.
A webinar that might interest you
All About the Effects of Hormone Therapy
Pages that might interest you
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Tips and Advice – Eating Well During Your Treatment
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