One of the pressing questions men ask when faced with the possibility of starting testosterone hormone therapy is, “Can testosterone replacement therapy cause cancer?” Up until recently, this question would likely have been answered by most doctors with a resounding “yes.”
However, a great deal of research has been done to determine whether the “yes” response to the question about testosterone therapy and prostate cancer is accurate, and based on accumulating evidence, it appears the answer is “no.” One compelling reason for the “no” response can be attributed to the comprehensive investigative work done by Abraham Morganthaler, MD, FACS, author of Testosterone for Life, who evaluated the original work by urologist Charles Higgins in the 1940s, research that led to the misconception that taking testosterone can cause prostate cancer.
Morganthaler discovered that this idea arose out of one case study involving one patient. In other words, the fear that testosterone therapy can cause prostate cancer was based on nothing. In fact, in recent years there have been many studies that dispel the myth that testosterone replacement therapy causes prostate cancer or has a significant negative impact on the prostate. For example:
A Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center review of 72 studies (Rhoden 2004) found “no compelling evidence that testosterone replacement therapy increases the incidence of prostate cancer.”
A report by The Prostate Cancer Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany. (Isbarn 2009) stated “the available research strongly suggested that testosterone therapy neither increases the risk of prostate cancer in normal men nor causes a recurrence of the cancer in men who have been treated successfully for prostate cancer.”
In a study of 57 men who received testosterone supplementation for an average of 36 months after prostatectomy surgery, although mean testosterone levels rose in all the men before testosterone therapy, there was no increase in PSA values after testosterone therapy started. So, testosterone replacement therapy caused hormone levels to rise, PSA values to remain the same, and symptoms to be relieved. Baylor College of Medicine study (Khera 2009)
A study conducted within the ongoing Osteoporotic Fractures in Men cohort looked at the association between testosterone, estradiol, estrone, and sex hormone-binding globulin and prostate cancer. Only estrone was strongly related to an increased risk of prostate cancer. University of California, San Francisco.
In a landmark study reported in 2006, men who had low testosterone levels were given testosterone injections or placebo every two weeks for six months. Before and throughout the study, the investigators took measurements of testosterone and DHT from both blood samples and the prostate itself. The researchers found that although blood concentrations of testosterone and DHT rose substantially in men who were given hormone replacement therapy, the concentration of testosterone and DHT did not change at all in the prostate gland. In addition, testosterone therapy had no effect on biochemical markers of prostate cell growth. Therefore, the authors noted that while testosterone replacement therapy normalized blood levels of testosterone, treatment did not affect prostate tissue or prostate cell functions. According to Morganthaler, “it is as if once the prostate has been exposed to enough testosterone, any additional testosterone is treated as excess and does not accumulate in the prostate.” To state it another way, he said “we say the prostate has been saturated with regard to testosterone.”
According to a Johns Hopkins Prostate Disorders Special Report, “Testosterone-Replacement Therapy: Does It Increase Prostate Cancer Risk?” the jury is still out on whether testosterone replacement therapy is safe when men take it for a prolonged time. Morganthaler would take that a step further, as he has noted that “The relationship of testosterone to prostate cancer has undergone a significant reevaluation, and all recent evidence has reinforced the position that testosterone therapy is safe for the prostate.”
In addition, if you already have prostate cancer, the concern has been that taking testosterone could make the cancer progress faster, or that the hormone could promote tumor growth. These worries are the reasons why some doctors will not prescribe testosterone therapy for men who have a history of prostate cancer.
However, a great deal of research has been done to determine whether the “yes” response to the question about testosterone therapy and prostate cancer is accurate, and based on accumulating evidence, it appears the answer is “no.” One compelling reason for the “no” response can be attributed to the comprehensive investigative work done by Abraham Morganthaler, MD, FACS, author of Testosterone for Life, who evaluated the original work by urologist Charles Higgins in the 1940s, research that led to the misconception that taking testosterone can cause prostate cancer.
Morganthaler discovered that this idea arose out of one case study involving one patient. In other words, the fear that testosterone therapy can cause prostate cancer was based on nothing. In fact, in recent years there have been many studies that dispel the myth that testosterone replacement therapy causes prostate cancer or has a significant negative impact on the prostate. For example:
A Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center review of 72 studies (Rhoden 2004) found “no compelling evidence that testosterone replacement therapy increases the incidence of prostate cancer.”
A report by The Prostate Cancer Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany. (Isbarn 2009) stated “the available research strongly suggested that testosterone therapy neither increases the risk of prostate cancer in normal men nor causes a recurrence of the cancer in men who have been treated successfully for prostate cancer.”
In a study of 57 men who received testosterone supplementation for an average of 36 months after prostatectomy surgery, although mean testosterone levels rose in all the men before testosterone therapy, there was no increase in PSA values after testosterone therapy started. So, testosterone replacement therapy caused hormone levels to rise, PSA values to remain the same, and symptoms to be relieved. Baylor College of Medicine study (Khera 2009)
A study conducted within the ongoing Osteoporotic Fractures in Men cohort looked at the association between testosterone, estradiol, estrone, and sex hormone-binding globulin and prostate cancer. Only estrone was strongly related to an increased risk of prostate cancer. University of California, San Francisco.
In a landmark study reported in 2006, men who had low testosterone levels were given testosterone injections or placebo every two weeks for six months. Before and throughout the study, the investigators took measurements of testosterone and DHT from both blood samples and the prostate itself. The researchers found that although blood concentrations of testosterone and DHT rose substantially in men who were given hormone replacement therapy, the concentration of testosterone and DHT did not change at all in the prostate gland. In addition, testosterone therapy had no effect on biochemical markers of prostate cell growth. Therefore, the authors noted that while testosterone replacement therapy normalized blood levels of testosterone, treatment did not affect prostate tissue or prostate cell functions. According to Morganthaler, “it is as if once the prostate has been exposed to enough testosterone, any additional testosterone is treated as excess and does not accumulate in the prostate.” To state it another way, he said “we say the prostate has been saturated with regard to testosterone.”
According to a Johns Hopkins Prostate Disorders Special Report, “Testosterone-Replacement Therapy: Does It Increase Prostate Cancer Risk?” the jury is still out on whether testosterone replacement therapy is safe when men take it for a prolonged time. Morganthaler would take that a step further, as he has noted that “The relationship of testosterone to prostate cancer has undergone a significant reevaluation, and all recent evidence has reinforced the position that testosterone therapy is safe for the prostate.”
In addition, if you already have prostate cancer, the concern has been that taking testosterone could make the cancer progress faster, or that the hormone could promote tumor growth. These worries are the reasons why some doctors will not prescribe testosterone therapy for men who have a history of prostate cancer.
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