In late May, Dr. John G. Levenson, M.D., founder and director of the Male Infertility Clinic at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, announced that he had found a new way to help men who are at high risk for developing prostate cancer.
As a physician who has treated hundreds of men who have prostate cancer, Dr Levensons work has focused on men who suffer from the disease and his hope is to treat the prostate with testosterone, which is also used to treat other diseases and is associated with lower risk for prostate cancer when used properly.
“The first thing I did when I started was to get these guys tested, and we found that they were all at high-risk for prostate cancers, so I started looking into this,” Dr Levesons told National Geographic.
“So I went to the Mayo Clinic and I did some studies on these guys, and I just started to realize that this is an issue that men of any age should be aware of.”
The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, tested more than 600 men, all of whom had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer as well as other medical conditions.
The study found that about one in six men who were diagnosed with a high-grade prostate cancer had testosterone levels that were higher than what is considered normal for a healthy male.
In contrast, one in three men who had prostate cancer was found to have levels that are below the cutoff, and those men were less likely to be diagnosed with cancer later in life.
Dr Leveons study is one of many recent studies looking at the role of testosterone in prostate cancer prevention.
In his article, Dr Lettens article said, “Testosterone is known to be an important anti-androgen for men.”
Androgen is a chemical in your body that is responsible for producing a range of hormones that help you grow, develop and maintain your muscles.
Dr. Leveson said that while men with prostate cancers are at higher risk of developing prostate tumors, they should not feel they are being “defensive” by being overweight or not getting enough exercise.
In addition, he stressed that men with the condition of male infertility should not just ignore the symptoms of the disease but also take action to make themselves healthier.
“We don’t want them to go without exercise,” he said.
“That’s not healthy for them.”
He also pointed out that prostate cancer treatment often requires surgery and that, if the treatment is unsuccessful, men with advanced disease can often have to take other medications that can interfere with their fertility.
“It’s very important for them to understand that they need to be educated and be proactive about doing things that will help them,” Dr. Letten said.
