Male cancer survivors who develop testosterone deficiency after receiving radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy may benefit from testosterone replacement therapy, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Sheffield School of Medicine in Sheffield, U.K. Findings were published online February 22 in Cancer.
Testosterone deficiency is a late side effect of radiation therapy and chemotherapy that occurs in approximately 15% of male cancer survivors. In an investigation of the relationship between testosterone levels, quality of life, self-esteem, fatigue, and sexual function, principal investigator Dr. Richard Ross and colleagues compared 176 young male cancer survivors with 213 young men who had never had cancer.
Young male cancer survivors said that they experienced a marked impairment in quality of life, as well as reduced energy levels and quality of sexual function, experiences that were exacerbated in survivors with testosterone deficiency. The researchers recommended that interventional trials be conducted with testosterone to determine which young male cancer survivors would benefit from replacement therapy.
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Male childhood cancer survivors at risk for hypogonadism: study, November 26, 2009
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