Conclusions : This meta- analysis shows that regardless of the administration method , TRT is the short-term safety and does not promote prostate cancer development or progression but long-term data are warranted with justifiable end points
Background : Testosterone replacement therapy ( TRT ) is a widely accepted form of treatment worldwide for aging men with late-onset hypogonadism syndrome .
Urologists have been concerned about the possibility of TRT causing prostate cancer .
The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between TRT and prostate cancer .
Effects of testosterone supplementation in the aging male.
Serum and rogen levels decline with aging in normal males , such that a significant number of men over 60 yr of age will have a mean serum total testosterone ( T ) level near the low end of the normal adult range . It is not known whether lower T levels in older men have an effect on and rogen-responsive organ systems , such as muscle , bone , bone marrow , and prostate , nor are there data to evaluate the relative benefits and risks of T supplementation in older men . We assessed the physiological and biochemical effects of T therapy in 13 healthy men , 57 - 76 yr old , who had low or borderline low serum T levels ( < or = 13.9 nmol/L ) .  Intramuscular testosterone enanthate ( TE ; 100 mg weekly ) and placebo injections were given for 3 months each . Before treatment and at the end of both 3-month treatment regimens , lean body mass , body fat , biochemical parameters of bone turnover , hematological parameters , lipoprotein profiles , and prostate parameters [ such as prostate-specific antigen ( PSA ) ] were evaluated . Serum T levels rose in all subjects with TE treatment , such that the lowest level of T during a week 's period was 19.7 + /- 0.7 nmol/L ( mean + /- SE ) . After 3 months of TE treatment , lean body mass was significantly increased , and urinary hydroxyproline excretion was significantly depressed . With TE treatment , there was a significant increase in hematocrit , a decline in total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol , and a sustained increase in serum PSA levels . Placebo treatment led to no significant changes in any of these parameters . We conclude that short term ( 3 months ) TE supplementation to healthy older men who have  serum T levels near or below the lower limit of normal for young adult men results in an increase in lean body mass and possibly a decline in bone resorption , as assessed by urinary hydroxyproline excretion , with some effect on serum lipoproteins , hematological parameters , and PSA . The sustained stimulation of PSA and the increase in hematocrit that occur with physiological TE supplementation suggest that older men should be screened carefully and followed periodically throughout T therapy
Conclusions : This meta- analysis shows that regardless of the administration method , TRT is the short-term safety and does not promote prostate cancer development or progression but long-term data are warranted with justifiable end points
Background : Testosterone replacement therapy ( TRT ) is a widely accepted form of treatment worldwide for aging men with late-onset hypogonadism syndrome .
Urologists have been concerned about the possibility of TRT causing prostate cancer .
The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between TRT and prostate cancer .