According to a latest research, men with low levels of testosterone have less likelihood for the development of prostate cancer. This study was conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford in U.K.
This is a first-of-its-kind study in which, scientists have studied how low levels of testosterone affect the incidence of prostate cancer. This is the largest study ever conducted to understand the relation between hormones and prostate cancer. The results of the research were presented at National Cancer Research Institute, Liverpool.
Prostate cancer inflicts its havoc on more than 1.7 lakh men each year. Thousands of men die from the disease.
Male hormones like testosterone and androgens promote tumor cell growth. Blocking levels of testosterone is one of the treatments for prostate cancer as androgens work to grow prostate cancer cells.
According to androgen saturation model, androgen receptors need just enough testosterone to be saturated for the growth of prostate cancer cells. After the saturation point is attained, further increase in testosterone does not lead to the surplus increase in the growth of cancerous cells.
Low testosterone linked to the reduction in risk of prostate cancer by 20% :
The researchers studied around 18,000 subjects of whom 6,000 had prostate cancer and 12,000 were the control group, who did not have the disease. The age of the participants was between 34 to 76. The men were grouped into various categories depending on the amount of testosterone and androgen receptors ranging from lowest to the highest. Logistics regression model was used for calculation of prostate cancer risk.
As per to what was predicted earlier, the results of the study also stated that men with lower levels of testosterone were less likely to develop prostate cancer.
This is an interesting finding, which helps us understand how prostate cancer develops. Prior to this study, there was no strong evidence of testosterone’s role in the development of prostate cancer. This study would help in future to devise ways to reduce the risk of development of the disease.
