Testosterone Use Does Not Raise Prostate Cancer Risk

Prostate Cancer is sensitive to testosterone, so much so that one major treatment of it is to block testosterone with powerful hormonal drugs. But does a man have a higher risk of prostate cancer if he is given testosterone? It seems the answer is probably “no”. Dr. Farid Saad, a researcher at Bayer Pharma in Berlin analyzed data for 850 men with low testosterone and found that PSA did rise somewhat and prostate volume rose as well, confirming the idea that the prostate will respond to testosterone therapy.

But when the incidence of prostate cancer was analyzed it actually seemed that fewer men on testosterone therapy got prostate cancer on a percentage basis. Men on testosterone also reported improved symptoms of urination, and some unintended weight loss. Most of these men were overweight, so the weight loss may reflect better activity and exercise levels when stimulated with testosterone.