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In this FDA discussion, Dr. Abraham Morgentaler talks about how decades of fear and misinformation wrongly linked testosterone therapy to prostate cancer, while modern evidence shows it is safe and may even reduce prostate cancer risk.
- 00:27 – Challenges in Testosterone Therapy: In this FDA discussion Dr. Abraham Morgentaler talks about the stigma, misinformation, and medical resistance that have limited acceptance of testosterone therapy despite patient benefits.
- 01:11 – Prostate Cancer Myths: He talks about the long-standing but false belief that testosterone “fuels” prostate cancer, rooted in outdated 1940s research.
- 02:18 – Evidence Against Prostate Cancer Risk: He discusses large trials and decades of data showing testosterone does not increase prostate cancer risk and may lower it.
- 04:15 – Testosterone Therapy in Prostate Cancer Patients: He talks about studies and real-world cases where men with prostate cancer safely received testosterone without disease progression.
- 04:52 – Conclusion and Recommendations: He closes his talk by discussing removing obsolete warning labels and updating medical guidance to reflect current scientific evidence.
Resources
PCPT (Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial)
Thompson, I. M., Goodman, P. J., Tangen, C. M., Lucia, M. S., Miller, G. J., Ford, L. G., … Coltman, C. A. (2003). The influence of finasteride on the development of prostate cancer. New England Journal of Medicine, 349(3), 215–224. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa030660
REDUCE Trial
Andriole, G. L., Bostwick, D. G., Brawley, O. W., Gomella, L. G., Marberger, M., Montorsi, F., … Rittmaster, R. S. (2010). Effect of dutasteride on the risk of prostate cancer. New England Journal of Medicine, 362(13), 1192–1202. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa0908127
TRAVERSE Trial
Lincoff, A. M., Bhasin, S., Flevaris, P., Mitchell, L. M., Basaria, S., Harman, S. M., … Nissen, S. E. (2023). Cardiovascular safety of testosterone replacement therapy in men. New England Journal of Medicine, 389(2), 107–117. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2301761
Charles Huggins’ 1941 Study
Huggins, C., & Hodges, C. V. (1941). Studies on prostatic cancer: I. The effect of castration, of estrogen and androgen injection on serum phosphatases in metastatic carcinoma of the prostate. Cancer Research, 1(4), 293–297.
