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WASHINGTON - Men over 50 who have higher levels of testosterone have a higher risk of prostate cancer, researchers reported yesterday.
The findings also brought a warning from the lead researcher about the possible risk of a new testosterone-replacement therapy being tested on older men with declining health and vigor.
"Since testosterone-replacement therapy increases the amount of free testosterone in the blood, older men considering or receiving testosterone replacement should be counseled as to the association until data from long-term clinical trials becomes available," said Dr. Kellogg Parsons, a urologist at Johns Hopkins University who led the study.
The findings were presented to a meeting of the American Urological Association.
A second study by another Johns Hopkins team, also presented at the meeting, found that obese men may be more likely to see their prostate cancer come back after surgery.
Prostate cancer affects 221,000 American men a year and kills 29,000.
Reuters
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