Does Testosterone Use Increase the Risk of Prostate Cancer?

Jul 6, 2017

Question:

Can testosterone use increase your risk for prostate cancer?

Answer:

I have spoken to many experts and to date there is no direct link between testosterone use and prostate cancer. However, all patients with risk factors like family history of prostate cancer need further discussion with a urologist.

In a study, researchers found that, as a group, men prescribed testosterone for longer than a year had no overall increase in risk of prostate cancer and, in fact, had their risk of aggressive disease reduced by 50 percent.

The researchers say testosterone use for therapy — taken by mouth, gel patch, or injection to treat “low T” — has skyrocketed in the past decade. Its popularity is a consequence, experts say, of an aging “boomer” population and heavy drug industry marketing, and has come about despite its unknown, long-term health risks. According to some surveys, testosterone use as therapy has more than tripled since 2001, with more than 2 percent of American men in their 40s and nearly 4 percent of men in their 60s taking it. Testosterone levels drop naturally by about 1 percent per year in men past their 30s.

More Information on this study can be found here.