|
 |
High testosterone levels linked to prostate cancer risk
Source: (cancerfacts.com)
Monday, May 10, 2004
SAN FRANCISCO – May 10, 2004 – Men over 50 years of age with high blood levels of the male sex hormone, testosterone, have an increased risk of prostate cancer, according to a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins and the National Institute on Aging.
The researchers led by Dr. J. Kellogg Parsons, instructor of urology at the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins say the finding throws some doubt on the safety of testosterone replacement therapy. The findings were presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Urological Society.
"Since testosterone replacement therapy increases the amount of free testosterone in the blood, older men considering or receiving testosterone replacement should be counseled as to the association until data from long-term clinical trials becomes available," Parsons said in a prepared statement.
The study runs counter to the conclusions of a combined analysis of several studies of hormone replacement therapy in men published earlier this year in the New England Journal of Medicine, ensuring that further research will be needed to resolve the question. (See related story.)
The researchers in the current study measured several forms of testosterone in almost 3,000 blood samples collected over a 40-year period from 759 men in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging. A total of 111 of these men were diagnosed with prostate cancer.
After ruling out other factors, such as height, weight, percent of body fat, or muscle mass, they found that one form of testosterone, called free testosterone, which is biologically active and can be used by the prostate, was found to be associated with increased prostate cancer risk.
At the same time, they found that total testosterone levels and another androgenic hormone, called dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), were not linked to prostate cancer risk, while the protein that binds testosterone in blood, called sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), was associated with a slightly decreased risk for prostate cancer.
The American Urological Association (AUA)'s Annual Meeting is the largest meeting of urologic professionals in the world. With more than 10,000 urologists and health-care professionals and 5,000 exhibitors in attendance.
Copyright © 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 NexCura, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of cancerfacts.com content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of NexCura. NexCura® is a registered trademark and cancerfacts.com™ is a trademark of NexCura, Inc. or its affiliates. Copyright © 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004. All rights reserved. This information is for educational purposes only.
|
|
|
|
|
|
