The standard treatment for prostate cancer – shutting off the body’s production of androgen hormones – can chop 21/2 years off the lives of men who are at high risk of developing heart disease, Boston researchers reported Friday.

The drugs used for suppressing the hormones produce anemia, weight gain and insulin resistance, a constellation of factors known as metabolic syndrome.

These effects can sharply increase the risk of a fatal heart attack, especially in men who are at high risk, Dr. Anthony D’Amico of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Because the drugs can slow or halt the progression of a prostate tumor, researchers are not advocating that physicians stop using them.

Instead, they recommend that prostate cancer patients be screened for cardiovascular risk, and that those with risk factors be treated aggressively for their potential heart disease before cancer therapy is begun.