TRT Causing Breast Enlargement

[Jack54]

Has anyone on this site experienced breast enlargement while on TRT? Just curious as to how common this is. Am considering it because two years after ADT. (18 months Lupron and Bicalutamide) my T level is 66, PSA .28.

[Derf4223]

Missing from your bio -- staging at Dx. Are you high risk, advanced, or metastatic? If so, tread very carefully as all TRT info seems to refer to localized low-Gleason PCA.

[Jack54 in reply to Derf4223]

Before tx: PSA 54, Gleason 9, 13 of 16 cores positive and MRI showed tumor abut capsule. No known metastasis. My MO staged me at T3c.

[Derf4223 in reply to Jack54]

PSA 54 and Gleason 9 == high risk. Tread very very carefully. When it comes to enduring SE's, do like me (also high risk, metastatic, etc) and "Suck it up buttercup." Breast enlargement can be helped if you nip it in the bud. (All puns and innuendos intended.)

[JWS13 in reply to Derf4223]

how do you nip it in bud? surgery?Plastic?

[Derf4223 in reply to JWS13]

jws13, Actually I exercise a lot. Resistance exercise -- some of it working the pecs and shoulders. Cardio. Aerobic. Daily. The theory is this reduces fat gain. Otherwise there is the possibility of a breast reduction and/or radiation.

[fast_eddie in reply to Derf4223]

There is also tamoxifen. I wonder why urologists keep that a secret.

[JWS13 in reply to Derf4223]

what do you consider low -gleason 4-3 (7)? I am considering trt w gleason 7 localized -psma -no mets..psa.2 - 6 months post orgovyx -t 80...should i be concerned?

[Derf4223 in reply to JWS13]

I am not a doctor. However if I were you I would take into account my genetic data, family history, etc. Gleason 7 is serious. A PSA that is detectable is serious. (Mine is undetectable.) Happy Thanksgiving.

[JWS13 in reply to Derf4223]

isn't all post radiation treatment is detectable..especially waiting for nadir..

[GP24]

You could continue with Bicalutamide. This increases the testosterone level.

[PCaWarrior in reply to GP24]

Unfortunately, 95% of the testosterone is blocked with bicalutamide. So, higher but lower...

[PCaWarrior]

Not common. If you end up using testosterone you might need an aromatase inhibitor. But first you would measure your estrogen to see if it is an issue (sensitive test).

TRT might not be the best for you at this time. What does your MO say?

If you are CRPC you might qualify for BAT. Sam Denmeade at Johns Hopkins is the BATFather. [e-mail]

[Hidden]

Back from my days body building, guys would get gynecomastia, it was called "bitch tits" in the 70s, when doing anabolic steroids. The reason it happened, was the testosterone rise was too fast, the body aromatized the excess testosterone into estrogen.

Doing TRT will not cause gynecomastia if done in a sane and reasonable rate.

[cesanon]

Testosterone replacement therapy?

That sounds a bit dangerous for a prostate cancer survivor.

There is a very nuanced and non- intuitive relationship between testosterone and prostate cancer.

If you were to do it, it should be supervised by someone who also does bipolar androgen therapy. And definitely not by a primary care physician.

[timotur]

This happened to me after ADT as my T recovered to the 700 range about three months after my last Lupron shot. My estrogen level at the time was about 80, about 4x normal. They’re not pointy, but puffy I guess is the right way to describe them. I don’t do anything about it other than exercise a lot and eat well, and it seems to be ok, except my wife teases me about it,

[JWS13 in reply to timotur]

how long after stopping adt did your t come back to 700/

[timotur in reply to JWS13]

It took about four months after the last monthly shot to get back in the normal range. Before ADT it was 1125, and recovered to about 750, and seems like it’s going to stay there. Probably exercise and diet helped.

[Survivor1965]

Mine have gotten really bad after all these years on Lupron/Xtandi. This was discussed recently and someone suggested adding lots of incline bench to my workout and I think it’s helping.

[Miccoman in reply to Survivor1965]

They nuked mine to stop the growth. It was simple, medicare paid for it and it solved the problem. Mine got to hurting so my complaints got action. Might be something to look into.

[JWS13 in reply to Miccoman]

what kind of nuking? where did you have it done? is there a name for it?

[Miccoman in reply to JWS13]

05/14, 15 & 16/2018 Irradiation of breasts for pain due to Gynecomastia; I had it done in Sebastian, FL, by the Cancer Care Centers of Brevard.

There was a preliminary session where they mapped out the area to make metal openings to allow exposure to just the areas needed. After the 3 sessions I had a little sunburn around my nipples. Not even enough for lotion. YMMV

For more specifics see: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl... see section titled "Prostate cancer-associated gynaecomastia"

[YYJguy in reply to Miccoman]

May I ask did they do radiation on your chest area? What might the side effects of that be?

[Miccoman in reply to YYJguy]

There was a preliminary session where they mapped out the area to make metal openings to allow exposure to just the areas needed around my nipples. After the 3 sessions I had a little sunburn around my nipples. Not even enough for lotion. YMMV

At one point I guess people were worried about heart exposure but that is a false worry, from what I've read. Tall Allen would be better suited to address that, I think.

For more specifics see: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl... see section titled "Prostate cancer-associated gynaecomastia"

[Grandpa4]

There is a form of radiation with electrons that is very superficial but eliminates gynecomastia. There was concern about heart attacks but I believe closer looks have suggested this is not the case and it never made much sense.

[JWS13 in reply to Grandpa4]

what kind of nuking? where did you have it done? is there a name for it?

[mrvl]

I've been on TRT for 9 years. So far zero issues. I inject 16 mg of testosterone cypionate daily and 500 iu of HCG twice a week. I use an easy touch 29g. 1/2" syringe for a shallow IM injection. I started at age 60 I'm 69 now.

[JWS13 in reply to mrvl]

how long did you wait after stopping adt before going on trt?

[Jack54 in reply to JWS13]

A year

[mrvl in reply to JWS13]

2 years

[Blueribbon63]

Yes, I have never had breasts, my chest has drastically changed after a year on ADT Lupron. I now have to wear compression shirts to make my man-boobs less noticeable. By the way, I have metastasis PC stage 4.

[Miccoman in reply to Blueribbon63]

Same as you but they nuked my breasts to stop the growth and they have not been a problem since around 2015.

[onemichael01]

You could continue with Bicalutamide which does raise both T and E levels and can cause breast growth. They can give you a SERM - Selective estrogen receptor modulator that lowers the risk of growth. Bica blocks the conversion of T to what PC needs to grow but can improve libido and reduce the risk of bone loss. Typically, they used to give 150mg as monotherapy before Lupron existed. You might be able to take 50mg Bicalutamide and see how it goes. I ended up doing 50mg plus .5 Finasteride and then had Tulsa Pro Ultrasound. I was Gleason 9, PSA of 9.6 in December 2020. I still take Bicalutamide and Finasteride as a precaution. My current PSA is .7(point 7) and T of 215. No ED issues. So far so good. Good luck

[Miccoman]

ADT caused gynecomastia in me, which became painful so they nuked my tits and everything was fine. It was 3 sessions of very low radiation and that solved that.

I am surprised that so many men do not know about this solution!

[bldn10 in reply to Miccoman]

The great Snuffy Meyers told me nothing about it when he put me on ADT3.

[Rocketman1960]

Hawaiian shirts are your friend as are good undershirts with a flannel shirt over the top. 13 years in, I have learned to treat it like a badge of honor to have survived this long. Happy Thanksgiving to you and all fellow PC Warriors.

[Jack54 in reply to Rocketman1960]

I too think of them as a badge of honor. A reminder to me that I’m winning the battle.

[addicted2cycling]

GL10 dx 2015, immediately went with surgical castration instead of ADT drugs. Tumor confined so cryo ablation but also had immuno injection of Opdivo+Yervoy+Keytruda then 1 month later began Cypionate injections biweekly. 7+ years later no man boobs but very tender left nipple. Had mammogram and clear. T gets to 1,600ng/dL after injection when continued sequence. Have done own BAT type on/off/on etc. when PSA rises but still have 1/2 prostate causing fluctuations. Still HSPCa

[j-o-h-n]

Based on your bio picture (avatar/userID) you can hide your tits under your beard....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Wednesday 11/22/2023 11:51 PM EST

[SpencerBoy11]

I think I got moobs very fast. Looking back, I have always wondered why zapping them at the same time I got all my other radiation treatments wasn't an option ? Moobs were never discussed any medical person.

[Jack54 in reply to SpencerBoy11]

I agree. Not a single mention of breast enlargement by a single doctor. And there has been quite a few.