Testosterone Recovery Linked to Overall Survival in High-Risk Prostate Cancer
TUESDAY, Feb. 18, 2025 -- Serum testosterone (T) recovery to normal levels is associated with a significant improvement in overall survival in patients with high-risk prostate cancer receiving radiotherapy and long-term androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), according to a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, held from Feb. 13 to 15 in San Francisco.
Abdenour Nabid, M.D., from Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada, and colleagues randomly assigned 630 patients with high-risk prostate cancer to pelvic radiotherapy plus 36 versus 18 months of ADT (310 and 320 patients, respectively). Serum T was collected at baseline and regularly thereafter. T recovery was defined as return of T to within the normal range value of each participating institution. T data were available for 515 patients who were retained for the analysis.
Overall, 6,587 T measurements were available during a period of 22 years (median follow-up, 17.4 years). The researchers found that 52.4 percent of patients recovered T to normal levels: 57.0 and 44.3 percent in the 18- and 36-month cohorts, respectively. Patients not recovering T to a normal level were older, had higher clinical stage, and had diabetes. The median time to T recovery was 3.6 years among patients regaining T to a normal level. The 10- and 15-year overall survival rates were 76 and 44 percent, respectively, among those recovering T versus 55 and 30 percent, respectively, for those not recovering T. When considering the global hazard ratio, a significantly lower risk for death favored patients recovering T (hazard ratio, 0.54).
"The increased death rate in patients not recovering T is likely due to causes unrelated to prostate cancer," the authors write.
Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Read this next
Acute Cystitis Tied to Higher Risk for Urogenital Cancers
FRIDAY, Sept. 26, 2025 -- Acute cystitis may signal the presence of urogenital cancers in middle-aged adults, according to a study published online Sept. 16 in BMJ Public...
Guidelines Developed for Postmastectomy Radiation Therapy
THURSDAY, Sept. 25, 2025 -- In a clinical practice guideline published online Sept. 16 in Practical Radiation Oncology, recommendations are presented for the use of postmastectomy...
Wrist Cooling May Help Manage Vasomotor Symptoms
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 24, 2025 -- Targeted wrist cooling may offer a safe approach for managing vasomotor symptoms, according to a study published online Sept. 20 in Endocrinology...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.