New paper below.
"This study investigated the role of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in prostate safety and cancer progression. A cohort of 553 patients, 42 treated and 162 untreated hypogonadal men, and 349 eugonadal men were included."
"The incidence of positive prostate biopsies was lowest in hypogonadal men receiving TRT, with significantly lower severity of PCa in terms of staging and grading in the same group. These results suggest that TRT might have a protective effect against high-grade PCa."
Note that the aim of TRT has rarely been to restore high-normal testosterone [T] levels. Mostly, doctors aim for the lowest dose that gets T above 350 ng/dL.
My view is that estradiol [E2] needs to be monitored too. We need to avoid an estrogen-dominant E2:T ratio, IMO. & Arimidex, which inhibits T to E2 conversion should be considered.
-Patrick
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/282...
Aging Male. 2017 Mar 10:1-9. doi: 10.1080/13685538.2017.1298584. [Epub ahead of print]
Is there a protective role of testosterone against high-grade prostate cancer? Incidence and severity of prostate cancer in 553 patients who underwent prostate biopsy: a prospective data register.
Yassin A1,2,3, Salman M1, Talib RA4, Yassin DJ1,2.
Author information
Abstract
This study investigated the role of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in prostate safety and cancer progression. A cohort of 553 patients, 42 treated and 162 untreated hypogonadal men, and 349 eugonadal men were included. Pathological analysis of prostate biopsies examining the incidence and severity of PCa revealed that: 16.7% of treated hypogonadal men had a positive biopsy, a Gleason score of ≤6 in 71.4% and >6 in 28.6% of men, a predominant score of 3 and tumour staging of II in 85.7% men; 51.9% of untreated hypogonadal men had a positive biopsy, a Gleason score of ≤6 in 40.5% and >6 in 59.5% men, a predominant score of 3 (77.4%) and tumour staging of II (41.7%) or III (40.5%); 37.8% of eugonadal men had a positive biopsy, a Gleason score of ≤6 in 42.4% and >6 in 57.6% of men, a predominant score of 3 (82.6%) and tumour staging of II (44.7%) or III (47.7%). The incidence of positive prostate biopsies was lowest in hypogonadal men receiving TRT, with significantly lower severity of PCa in terms of staging and grading in the same group. These results suggest that TRT might have a protective effect against high-grade PCa.
KEYWORDS:
Gleason score; Hypogonadism; androgen receptor; prostate cancer; testosterone; tumor grading; tumor staging
PMID: 28282997 DOI: 10.1080/13685538.2017.1298584