Low serum testosterone levels are predictive of prostate cancer.
Summary of "Low serum testosterone levels are predictive of prostate cancer."
PURPOSE:
Although hormones play fundamental roles in prostate growth, their clinical significance is not completely clear. Aims of present study were to assess whether testosterone and serum sex hormone levels are predictors of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or prostate cancer (PC) and to verify whether prostate cancer is associated with low testosterone levels, and to test association between testosterone levels and known prognostic factors in prostate cancer.
METHODS:
In 206 consecutive patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia or prostate cancer testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone and prolactin levels were tested and correlated with disease. In patients with prostate cancer, hormone levels were also correlated with known prognostic factors. Predictive value was assessed for age, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), PSA ratio, PSA density, prostate volume and serum sex hormone levels using multiple logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic curves.
RESULTS:
Considering sex hormones, only testosterone levels were significantly lower in patients with prostate cancer than those with BPH; testosterone levels appear to be independent predictor of prostate cancer, enhancing predictive accuracy for BPH and PC. Testosterone levels do not seem to be associated with known clinical prognostic factors.
CONCLUSIONS:
This study supports experimental findings that testosterone levels are predictor of prostate cancer and that prostate cancer is frequently associated with low testosterone levels. In the diagnostic work-up for prostate cancer, adding testosterone determination to PSA test may improve predictive accuracy.
Affiliation
Urology Department, University of Perugia, Sant'Andrea delle Fratte, 06100, Perugia, Italy, luigi.mearini@tin.it.
Journal Details
This article was published in the following journal.
Name: World journal of urology
ISSN: 1433-8726
Pages:
Links
- PubMed Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22068548
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00345-011-0793-x
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Prostate-specific Antigen
A glycoprotein that is a kallikrein-like serine proteinase and an esterase, produced by epithelial cells of both normal and malignant prostate tissue. It is an important marker for the diagnosis of prostate cancer.
Predictive Value Of Tests
In screening and diagnostic tests, the probability that a person with a positive test is a true positive (i.e., has the disease), is referred to as the predictive value of a positive test; whereas, the predictive value of a negative test is the probability that the person with a negative test does not have the disease. Predictive value is related to the sensitivity and specificity of the test.
Hyperthyroxinemia, Familial Dysalbuminemic
An inherited autosomal dominant trait characterized by abnormally elevated levels of total serum THYROXINE; (T4) in euthyroid patients with abnormal SERUM ALBUMIN that binds T4 with enhanced affinity. The serum levels of free T4, free T3, and TSH are normal. It is one of several T4 abnormalities produced by non-thyroid disorder. This condition is due to mutations of the ALB gene on CHROMOSOME 4.
Mucin-1
Carbohydrate antigen elevated in patients with tumors of the breast, ovary, lung, and prostate as well as other disorders. The mucin is expressed normally by most glandular epithelia but shows particularly increased expression in the breast at lactation and in malignancy. It is thus an established serum marker for breast cancer.
Testosterone Congeners
Steroidal compounds related to TESTOSTERONE, the major mammalian male sex hormone. Testosterone congeners include important testosterone precursors in the biosynthetic pathways, metabolites, derivatives, and synthetic steroids with androgenic activities.
PubMed Articles
Testosterone Replacement Therapy and Prostate Health.
There is an emerging evolution in the understanding of the relationship between the prostate and testosterone. It has long been generally believed that with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), inc...
Testosterone is the major precursor of estradiol (E2) in men. We hypothesized that, in metastatic prostate cancer, androgen deprivation therapy suppression of serum androgen to the castration level ma...
Prostate Cancer Does Not Influence Androgen Levels: A Radical Prostatectomy Cohort Study.
Aim: To investigate the relationship between androgens and prostate cancer in patients scheduled for radical prostatectomy. Subjects and Methods: Patients scheduled for open radical prostatectomy were...
Androgen deprivation with a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) agonist is the standard treatment for patients with metastatic prostate cancer who prefer nonsurgical options. Therapy with th...
Background:Intermittent androgen deprivation (IAD) for prostate cancer was studied with the objective of reducing the side effects of treatment and potentially delaying the development of hormone resi...
Clinical Trials
The objective of the study is to determine if men with evidence of progressive prostate cancer while on chronic androgen ablation of ≥ 1 year duration will exhibit a clinical response fo...
NASOBOL in Hypogonadal Men in Comparison to Testosterone Levels in Normal Healthy Male Volunteers
In this study the serum concentration of testosterone and its main metabolite DHT will be measured in hypogonadal men using intranasal testosterone (Nasobol). Different treatment regimens...
The T-001 study is a placebo-controlled investigation of the effects of injectable testosterone replacement therapy on prostate tissues of aging men with low testosterone levels. The prim...
Osteoporosis, or thinning of the bones is a common disorder which can cause significant morbidity in terms of pain and fracture. One of the causes of osteoporosis is a low or absent testos...
The preferred cost-benefit strategy for long-term use of LHRH agonists will be based on measurement of serum testosterone rather than regular dosing
