Endocrine therapy for prostate cancer, also known as hormone therapy and androgen removal therapy, refers to the treatment of prostate cancer by lowering the level of androgens (male hormones) in the body and inhibiting the action of androgens. It is mainly for patients with hormone-dependent prostate cancer. Which patients are hormone-dependent prostate cancer patients? As the name implies, hormone-dependent prostate cancer is prostate cancer that is effective with androgen removal therapy, while hormone-non-dependent prostate cancer is prostate cancer that is ineffective with androgen removal therapy. As research has advanced and drugs have been developed, it has been found that what was previously considered hormone-non-dependent prostate cancer is still effective with newer anti-androgen drugs (such as abiraterone), and as a result, hormone-non-dependent prostate cancer is now medically renamed debulking-resistant prostate cancer. Hormone-dependent prostate cancer is a relatively early stage of the disease, while desmoresistant prostate cancer develops from hormone-dependent prostate cancer and is a relatively late stage of the disease.