Testosterone Replacement Therapy After Prostate Cancer Surgery

VascodaGama said:

TRT studies and the Pharmaceuticals

 

SV

TRT is an interesting theme discussed several times before in this PCa forum. Many of us worry with the statements that messing with the levels of Testosterone (T) will directly “punch” the cancer, driving it to the canvas or awakens its sleep.

This is mostly due to evaluated reports of PCa patients treated with hormonal manipulations than to the group of guys that have been successfully treated with the radicals. The fact is that in normal men not affected with PCa, TRT has been used conventionally (as it should), but in PCa survivors the risk of increasing testosterone has been badly judged or linked to the growth of cancer, leading doctors to refuse TRT use.
There is no doubt that T influences the behaviour of prostatic cells, both benign and malignant, but there is no proven conclusions that T causes prostate cancer.

The article you posted is based on studies done back in 2008 published in the journal of the European Association of Urology by A. Morgentaler and A. Traish. These researchers have created models to certify their findings in regards to androgen bindings to cell’s ARs (receptors). However, in the article (your link) these findings are poorly summarized and confusing because they do not provide thresholds. They comment about hypogonadism which T levels are far beyond the levels used as the marks to judge cancer progress in HT patients. Hypogonadism (Low T) and clinical castration are different matters when considered in the treatment of PCa. Hypogonadism is classified in any case that got a T lower than 250 ng/dL whether clinical castration is for the group of guys with T lower than 50 ng/dL.

You will find that the original publication of the study explains better about the relationship between TRT and PCa progress. Here is the link;
http://www.urosource.com/fileadmin/European_Urology/european_urology/Morgentaler best art.pdf

There is a series of medications for TRT/HRT treatments. Solvay Pharmaceuticals is the largest provider. The Auxilium and Indevus Pharmaceuticals are big with TRT. Another one on the list of the firms that sponsored directly the studies (according to the “Financial disclosures” of the EAU paper above) or paid for consultancy services to Dr. Morgentaler is the big Bayer-Schering. 
(http://www.testosterone.me/tag/bayer-schering)

 

 

In your case with continuous PSA remission levels I do not understand your reasoning in regards to T levels. Why you were previously worried with TRT and why did this article changed your opinion? What is your present testosterone level?
I see your status as cured and I think that you should try getting the most out of your life. Increasing T is good for healthy living.

 

 

Congratulations on the Zeros.

VG 

A Note to Ralph: It is wonderfull to have your posts back. I hope things are OK with you. We were missing your replies.

 

 

Thanks Vasco for the detailed reply. My testosterone level was 530 with estrodiol at 37. After reading how a growing number of urologists are now using Clomid to prompt the body to increase testosterone levels naturally instead of using testosterone gels or injuections, I gave it a try. For two months I took .25 mg of Comid and then re-tested. My testosterone jumped to 750 as did my estrodiol to 47. It my understanding that elevated estrogen is not a good thing and somewhat canccels any benefits of raised testosterone.

Then two months later, I re-tested again and my testosterone was at 675 but estrodiol reduced to 18--a far better ratio. I realize that at age 61 I should be content with testosterone at that level but I train very hard in athletics and am not getting the recovery that I need. I can't think of a reason that I should not be able to still wrestle twenty-something alpha-males.