Testosterone therapy and cancer risk

Abstract

Objective: To determine if testosterone therapy (TT) status modifies a man's risk of cancer.

Patients and methods: The Urology clinic hormone database was queried for all men with a serum testosterone level and charts examined to determine TT status. Patient records were linked to the Texas Cancer Registry to determine the incidence of cancer. Men accrued time at risk from the date of initiating TT or the first office visit for men not on TT. Standardised incidence rates and time to event analysis were performed.

Results: In all, 247 men were on TT and 211 did not use testosterone. In all, 47 men developed cancer, 27 (12.8%) were not on TT and 20 (8.1%) on TT. There was no significant difference in the risk of cancer incidence based on TT (hazard ratio [HR] 1.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.57-1.9; P = 1.8). There was no difference in prostate cancer risk based on TT status (HR 1.2, 95% CI 0.54-2.50).

Conclusion: There was no change in cancer risk overall, or prostate cancer risk specifically, for men aged >40 years using long-term TT.

Keywords: hypogonadism; neoplasms; testosterone.