But for Huggins, the existence of synthetic estrogens suggested a markedly different use: he could inject them to “feminize” the male body553 and stop the production of testosterone in patients with prostate cancer. He called the method “chemical castration.” And once again, he found striking responses. As with surgical castration, patients with aggressive prostate cancer chemically castrated with feminizing hormones responded briskly to the therapy, often with minimal side effects. (The most prominent complaint among men was the occurrence of menopause-like hot flashes.)
