Saturday Nov 13, 2016 (foodconsumer.org) -- A review released in 2016 in the journal Sexual Medicine Reviews suggests that men with hypogonadism who have been treated for prostate cancer may consider using testosterone replacement therapy as long as their disease is not the high-risk type.
Use of testosterone in men with prostate cancer remains controversial as studies have linked androgens to prostate cancer growth. But hypogonadism , which is a condition linked to reduced biosynthesis of sex hormone, can significantly affect quality of life and lead to negative sequelae.
The review of the literature on the effect of testosterone therapy in hypogonadal men with a history of prostate cancer shows that testosterone therapy ameliorates symptoms of hypogonadism, lowers risk of negative sequelae and significantly improve quality of life in men.
Studies according to the review have found that testosterone therapy does not increase risk for de novo prostate cancer, progression or recurrence of the disease in hypogonadal men with a history of non-high-risk prostate cancer.
However, for men with a history of high-risk prostate cancer, the evidence supporting use of testosterone therapy is less clear.
Prostate cancer patients are often treated with hormone therapy to prevent the production of sex hormone which is believed to promote the prostate cancer growth even though not all cases of prostate cancer are hormone sensitive. As a result, this treatment leads to hypogonadism.
The review concludes that moderate evidence suggests that testosterone therapy is a safe and effective treatment for men with hypogonadism who have been treated for non-high-risk prostate cancer. (David Liu)
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