Prostate Cancer and Men Robert G Carlson, MD

Prostate Cancer Myth:
Testosterone therapy causes prostate cancer
Absolutely not, in fact lower testosterone levels are associated with an increased incidence of Prostate cancer.
For over 60 years there has been an overwhelming fear that testosterone therapy for low testosterone levels will cause new cancers or hidden ones to grow. There is very little scientific data to support that philosophy but even in the face of numerous recent studies saying there is NO association, doctors are still telling their patients that testosterone therapy causes prostate cancer. Instead the opposite is true. Low blood levels of testosterone don’t protect against prostate cancer, but in fact lower testosterone levels are associated with increased incidence of prostate cancer.
A Journal of National Cancer Institute article in 2008, pooled 18 separate studies looking at the effect of testosterone therapy and prostate cancer. In over 9000 men studied, there was no relationship between testosterone therapy and Prostate cancer. NONE. The authors pleaded with the medical community to move past the long-believed, but unsupported view that testosterone therapy causes prostate cancer. IT DOES NOT CAUSE PROSTATE CANCER.
To summarize:
1) Low testosterone levels do not protect against prostate cancer, and in fact are associated with a higher incidence of prostate cancer.
2) High testosterone levels in men are not associated with an increased incidence of prostate cancer.
3) Treatment with testosterone therapy does not increase the incidence of prostate cancer, even in the men who are presumably at a higher risk.
4) If a man has metastatic prostate cancer (spread all over) and has been aggressively treated to lower testosterone levels, then careful management with testosterone therapy is recommended.
5) By restoring Testosterone levels to healthy levels, aging men should expect higher energy levels, memory improvement, improvement of depression, reduction of osteoporosis, and improvement in erectile dysfunction.
Robert G Carlson, MD, FACS