Take Home
1- Baseline testosterone levels might be a predictor of the level of success of ADT.
2- Men should consider checking their testosterone baseline prior to starting ADT to better understand their prognosis.
In a pooled data analysis from two phase 3 trials (NCT00295570 and NCT00928434) researchers examined the possible impact that baseline testosterone levels might have on men beginning Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT).
They stratified testosterone levels by low (<250 ng/dl) versus normal (>250 ng/dl) and by quartile to examine time to PSA rise, progression free survival and overall survival.
They evaluated 838 men in the analysis, with 16.5% having a baseline testosterone level of <250ng/ml. Cohorts had comparable Gleason scores, PSA >20ng/ml and metastatic staged patients.
Their analyses showed that there is a statistically significant survival advantages for men who had a low baseline testosterone level prior to starting ADT. The researchers suggested that a multivariate analysis is the next step to try to account for possible additional confounders.
This study suggests that serum testosterone levels taken before a man starts ADT will help predict their survival outcome, leading to better clinical decision-making.
Presented at AUA 2017 by Anup Patel, MS, FRCS
from the Spire Roding Hospital, London, UK
Joel T. Nowak, MA, MSW wrote this Post. Joel is the CEO/Executive Director of Cancer ABCs. He is a Cancer Thriver diagnosed with 5 primary cancers - Thyroid, Metastatic Prostate, Renal, Melanoma and a rare cancer, Appendiceal Cancer.
