GnRH blockers: a changing paradigm in the management of prostate cancer

For more than 60 years, androgen deprivation therapy, first with orchidectomy and more recently with gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists, has been a key treatment approach in the management of advanced prostate cancer. In spite of showing comparable survival benefits, these two treatments are associated with both physical and psychological issues, with notable effects on patient quality of life. The development of GnRH blockers provides a new class of hormonal agent with a different, direct mode of action. Degarelix, a newly approved GnRH blocker, has displayed a fast, profound and sustained suppression of testosterone and prostate‐specific antigen levels without subsequent tumour flare effects. This paper considers the current evidence for this new treatment approach and how this may impact on current urology nursing practice.