castration /kastrā″shən/ [L, castrare, to castrate] , the surgical excision of one or both testicles or ovaries, performed most frequently to reduce the production and secretion of certain hormones that may stimulate the proliferation of malignant cells in women with breast cancer or in men with prostate cancer. The patient must be informed that bilateral excision of the gonads causes sterility. See also oophorectomy, orchidectomy.
