Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

PROSTATE CANCER

Challenging beliefs of testosterone therapy and prostate cancer

The relationship between testosterone therapy and prostate cancer continues to challenge historic and current beliefs. A new cohort analysis revealed a ~33% reduction in prostate cancer incidence in men with increased testosterone use. The mechanisms underlying this protective effect are unclear, but these findings challenge current paradigms and warrant further investigation.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Testosterone deficiency, metabolic syndrome and prostate cancer.

References

  1. Stavropouls, K. et al. Testosterone replacement therapy and cardiovascular risk - a closer look at additional parameters. JAMA Intern Med. 117, 1393 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Lopez, D. S. et al. Association of the extent of therapy with prostate cancer in those receiving testosterone therapy in a US commercial insurance claims database. Clin. Endocrinol. https://doi.org/10.1111/cen.14093 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Loeb, S. et al. Testosterone replacement therapy and risk of favorable and aggressive prostate cancer. J. Clin. Oncol. 35, 1430–1436 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Isbarn, H. et al. Testosterone and prostate cancer: revisiting old paradigms. Eur. Urol. 56, 48–56 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Fizazi, K. et al. Darolutamide in nonmetastatic, castration-resistant prostate vancer. N. Engl. J. Med. 380, 1235–1246 (2019).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Endogenous Hormones and Prostate Cancer Collaborative Group. Endogenous sex hormones and prostate cancer: a collaborative analysis of 18 prospective studies. J. Natl Cancer Inst. 100, 170–183 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Pastuszak, A. W. et al. Testosterone therapy and prostate cancer. Transl Androl. Urol. 5, 909–920 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Ahlering, T. E. et al. Is there a role for testosterone replacement in reducing biochemical recurrence following radical prostatectomy? J. Clin. Oncol. 37, 5085–5085 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Kasper, J. S., Liu, Y. & Giovannucci, E. Diabetes mellitus and risk of prostate cancer in the health professionals follow-up study. Int. J. Cancer 124, 1398–1403 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Lee, J. et al. Diabetes and mortality in patients with prostate cancer: a meta-analysis. Springerplus 5, 1548 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas E. Ahlering.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Huynh, L.M., Ahlering, T.E. Challenging beliefs of testosterone therapy and prostate cancer. Nat Rev Urol 16, 699–701 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-019-0253-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-019-0253-8

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing