*THE QUESTION Statistics have shown that men with prostate cancer frequently develop other serious ailments, such as heart problems and diabetes. Might this be related to the drugs commonly used to treat their disease?

*THIS STUDY analyzed data on 73,196 men age 66 and older with prostate cancer that had not spread beyond the gland or nearby lymph nodes. More than a third of the men were injected with a drug that blocks testosterone production, called a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist. About 4 1/2 years after diagnosis, men who received this hormone therapy were 44 percent more likely to have developed diabetes and 16 percent more likely to have coronary heart disease than those who did not have the injections.

*WHO MAY BE AFFECTED BY THESE FINDINGS? Men diagnosed with local or regional prostate cancer, meaning it has not spread far beyond the prostate region. More than 80 percent of men with prostate cancer have this type.

*CAVEATS Men who received hormone treatment may have seen their doctors more frequently than the others and thus may have been more likely to be diagnosed with other problems.

*FIND THIS STUDY Sept. 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology; abstract available online at www.jco.org.

*LEARN MORE ABOUT prostate cancer at www.cancer.gov and www.prostatecancerfoundation.org.

The research described in Quick Study comes from credible, peer-reviewed journals. Nonetheless, conclusive evidence about a treatment's effectiveness is rarely found in a single study. Anyone considering changing or beginning treatment of any kind should consult with a physician.