Common Prostate Cancer Treatment Can Raise Odds of Deadly Heart Condition

Many men with prostate cancer rely on common testosterone-blocking drugs as a part of their treatment. But those so-called antiandrogens also might put them at risk for a deadly heart condition, according to new research.

In a study published Monday in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, researchers looked at how several testosterone-blocking drugs affect the heart's QT interval – the time it takes the heart cells to recharge in between beats.

The longer a QT interval, typically measured by an electrocardiogram, the more at risk a person is to develop serious heart rhythm problems and a condition called torsade de pointes, which can result in sudden death. Women naturally have a longer QT interval than men, and they are at higher risk for this form of arrhythmia.

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