Epidemiology

You have full text access to this OnlineOpen article

High levels of circulating testosterone are not associated with increased prostate cancer risk: A pooled prospective study

  1. Pär Stattin1,†,*,
  2. Sonja Lumme2,
  3. Leena Tenkanen2,
  4. Henrik Alfthan3,
  5. Egil Jellum4,
  6. Göran Hallmans5,
  7. Steinar Thoresen6,
  8. Timo Hakulinen7,
  9. Tapio Luostarinen7,
  10. Matti Lehtinen8,
  11. Joakim Dillner9,
  12. Ulf-Håkan Stenman3,
  13. Matti Hakama10

Article first published online: 28 OCT 2003

DOI: 10.1002/ijc.11572

Issue

International Journal of Cancer

International Journal of Cancer

Volume 108, Issue 3, pages 418–424, 20 January 2004

Additional Information

How to Cite

Stattin, P., Lumme, S., Tenkanen, L., Alfthan, H., Jellum, E., Hallmans, G., Thoresen, S., Hakulinen, T., Luostarinen, T., Lehtinen, M., Dillner, J., Stenman, U.-H. and Hakama, M. (2004), High levels of circulating testosterone are not associated with increased prostate cancer risk: A pooled prospective study. Int. J. Cancer, 108: 418–424. doi: 10.1002/ijc.11572

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Urology, Umeå University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden

  2. 2

    Helsinki Heart Study, Helsinki, Finland

  3. 3

    Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

  4. 4

    Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway

  5. 5

    Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Nutritional Research, Umeå University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden

  6. 6

    Norwegian Cancer Registry, Oslo, Norway

  7. 7

    Finnish Cancer Registry, Helsinki, Finland

  8. 8

    National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland

  9. 9

    Department of Microbiology, University Hospital of Malmö, Malmö, Sweden

  10. 10

    Tampere School of Public Health, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland

  1. †

    Fax: +46-90-12-53-96

*Department of Urology, Umeå University Hospital, 901 85 Umeå, Sweden

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 21 NOV 2003
  2. Article first published online: 28 OCT 2003
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 18 JUL 2003
  4. Manuscript Revised: 27 JUN 2003
  5. Manuscript Received: 5 MAY 2003

Funded by

  • Nordic Cancer Union
  • Swedish Cancer Society. Grant Number: 010614

SEARCH

SEARCH BY CITATION

ARTICLE TOOLS

View Full Article (HTML) Get PDF (205K)

REFERENCES

  • 1
    Bosland MC. The role of steroid hormones in prostate carcinogenesis. J Natl Cancer Inst 2000; 27: 67–73.
  • 2
    Kyprianou N, English HF, Isaacs JT. Programmed cell death during regression of PC-82 human prostate cancer following androgen ablation. Cancer Res 1990; 50: 3748–53.
  • 3
    Webber MM, Bello D, Quader S. Immortalized and tumorigenic adult human prostatic epithelial cell lines: characteristics and applications—1, cell markers and immortalized nontumorigenic cell lines. Prostate 1996; 29: 386–94.
    Direct Link:
  • 4
    Lucia MS, Bostwick DG, Bosland M, Cockett AT, Knapp DW, Leav I, Pollard M, Rinker-Schaeffer C, Shirai T, Watkins BA. Workgroup I: rodent models of prostate cancer. Prostate 1998; 36: 49–55.
    Direct Link:
  • 5
    Bladou F, Vessela RL, Buhler KR, Ellis WJ, True LD, Lange PH. Cell proliferation and apoptosis during prostatic tumor xenograft involution and regrowth after castration. Int J Cancer 1996; 67: 785–90.
    Direct Link:
  • 6
    Eaton NE, Reeves GK, Appleby PN, Key TJ. Endogenous sex hormones and prostate cancer: a quantitative review of prospective studies. Br J Cancer 1999; 80: 930–4.
  • 7
    Kaaks R, Lukanova A, Sommersberg B. Plasma androgens, IGF-I, body size and prostate cancer risk: a synthetic review. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis 2000; 3: 157–72.
  • 8
    Hsing AW, Reichardt JK, Stanczyk FZ. Hormones and prostate cancer: current perspectives and future directions. Prostate 2002; 52: 213–35.
    Direct Link:
  • 9
    Hsing AW, Comstock GW. Serological precursors of cancer: serum hormones and risk of subsequent prostate cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 1993; 2: 27–32.
  • 10
    Gann PH, Hennekens CH, Ma J, Longcope C, Stampfer MJ. Prospective study of sex hormone levels and risk of prostate cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 1996; 88: 1118–26.
  • 11
    Heikkila R, Aho K, Heliovaara M, Hakama M, Marniemi J, Reunanen A, Knekt P. Serum testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin concentrations and the risk of prostate carcinoma: a longitudinal study. Cancer 1999; 86: 312–5.
    Direct Link:
  • 12
    Guess HA, Friedman GD, Sadler MC, Stanczyk FZ, Vogelman JH, Imperato-McGinley J, Lobo RA, Orentreich N. 5 alpha-reductase activity and prostate cancer: a case-control study using stored sera. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 1997; 6: 21–4.
  • 13
    Vatten LJ, Ursin G, Ross RK, Stanczyk FZ, Lobo RA, Harvei S, Jellum E. Androgens in serum and the risk of prostate cancer: a nested case-control study from the Janus serum bank in Norway. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 1997; 6: 967–9.
  • 14
    Dorgan JF, Albanes D, Virtamo J, Heinonen OP, Chandler DW, Galmarini M, McShane LM, Barrett MJ, Tangrea J, Taylor PR. Relationships of serum androgens and estrogens to prostate cancer risk: results from a prospective study in Finland. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 1998; 7: 1069–74.
  • 15
    Nomura AM, Stemmermann GN, Chyou PH, Henderson BE, Stanczyk FZ. Serum androgens and prostate cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 1996; 5: 621–5.
  • 16
    Bianchini F, Kaaks R, Vainio H. Overweight, obesity, and cancer risk. Lancet Oncol 2002; 3: 565.
  • 17
    Calle EE, Rodriguez C, Walker-Thurmond K, Thun MJ. Overweight, obesity, and mortality from cancer in a prospectively studied cohort of US adults. N Engl J Med 2003; 348: 1625–38.
  • 18
    Stattin P, Adlercreutz H, Tenkanen L, Jellum E, Lumme S, Hallmans G, Harvei S, Teppo L, Stumpf K, Luostarinen T, Lehtinen M, Dillner J, Hakama M. Circulating enterolactone and prostate cancer risk: a Nordic nested case-control study. Int J Cancer 2002; 99: 124–9.
    Direct Link:
  • 19
    Hermanek P, Sobin LH. TNM classification of malignant tumours: International Union Against Cancer. Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 1992. 141–4.
  • 20
    Anderson DC, Thorner MO, Fisher RA, Woodham JP, Goble HL, Besser GM. Effects of hormonal treatment on plasma unbound androgen levels in hirsute women. Acta Endocrinol 1975; 199 (Suppl): 224.
  • 21
    Vermeulen A, Verdonck L, Kaufman JM. A critical evaluation of simple methods for the estimation of free testosterone in serum. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1999; 84: 3666–72.
  • 22
    Sinnecker G. Stability of sex-hormone-binding globulin in serum and plasma. Clin Chem 1989; 35: 1253–4.
  • 23
    Morley JE, Patrick P, Perry HM III. Evaluation of assays available to measure free testosterone. Metabolism 2002; 51: 554–9.
  • 24
    Gapstur SM, Gann PH, Kopp P, Colangelo L, Longcope C, Liu K. Serum androgen concentrations in young men: a longitudinal analysis of associations with age, obesity, and race—the CARDIA male hormone study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2002; 11: 1041–7.
  • 25
    Vermeulen A, Verdonck G. Representativeness of a single point plasma testosterone level for the long term hormonal milieu in men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1992; 74: 939–42.
  • 26
    Ukkola O, Gagnon J, Rankinen T, Thompson PA, Hong Y, Leon AS, Rao DC, Skinner JS, Wilmore JH, Bouchard C. Age, body mass index, race and other determinants of steroid hormone variability: the HERITAGE family study. Eur J Endocrinol 2001; 145: 1–9.
  • 27
    Carter HB, Pearson JD, Metter EJ, Chan DW, Andres R, Fozard JL, Rosner W, Walsh PC. Longitudinal evaluation of serum androgen levels in men with and without prostate cancer. Prostate 1995; 27: 25–31.
    Direct Link:
  • 28
    Etzioni R, Cha R, Feuer EJ, Davidov O. Asymptomatic incidence and duration of prostate cancer. Am J Epidemiol 1998; 148: 775–85.
  • 29
    Stenman UH, Leinonen J, Zhang WM, Finne P. Prostate-specific antigen. Semin Cancer Biol 1999; 9: 83–93.
  • 30
    Nair B, Wilt T, MacDonald R, Rutks I. Early versus deferred androgen suppression in the treatment of advanced prostatic cancer. Cochrane Database System Rev 2002; 1: CD003506.
  • 31
    Pettaway CA. Racial differences in the androgen/androgen receptor pathway in prostate cancer. J Natl Med Assoc 1999; 91: 653–60.
  • 32
    Tibblin G, Adlerberth A, Lindstedt G, Bjorntorp P. The pituitary-gonadal axis and health in elderly men: a study of men born in 1913. Diabetes 1996; 45: 1605–9.
  • 33
    Stellato RK, Feldman HA, Hamdy O, Horton ES, McKinlay JB. Testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, and the development of type 2 diabetes in middle-aged men: prospective results from the Massachusetts male aging study. Diabetes Care 2000; 23: 490–4.
  • 34
    Irani J, Ravery V, Pariente JL, Chartier-Kastler E, Lechevallier E, Soulie M, Chautard D, Coloby P, Fontaine E, Bladou F, Desgrandchamps F, Haillot O. Effect of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents and finasteride on prostate cancer risk. J Urol 2002; 168: 1985–8.
  • 35
    Giovannucci E, Stampfer MJ, Krithivas K, Brown M, Dahl D, Brufsky A, Talcott J, Hennekens CH, Kantoff PW. The CAG repeat within the androgen receptor gene and its relationship to prostate cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1997; 94: 3320–3.
  • 36
    Norman RW, Coakes KE, Wright AS, Rittmaster RS. Androgen metabolism in men receiving finasteride before prostatectomy. J Urol 1993; 150: 1736–9.
  • 37
    Makridakis NM, Reichardt JK. Molecular epidemiology of hormone-metabolic loci in prostate cancer. Epidemiol Rev 2001; 23: 24–9.
  • 38
    Montgomery JS, Price DK, Figg WD. The androgen receptor gene and its influence on the development and progression of prostate cancer. J Pathol 2001; 195: 138–46.
    Direct Link:
  • 39
    Gruenewald DA, Matsumoto AM. Testosterone supplementation therapy for older men: potential benefits and risks. J Am Geriatr Soc 2003; 51: 101–15.
    Direct Link:
  • 40
    Vermeulen A. Androgen replacement therapy in the aging male: a critical evaluation. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2001; 86: 2380–90.
  • 41
    Morales A. Androgen replacement therapy and prostate safety. Eur Urol 2002; 41: 113–20.
View Full Article (HTML) Get PDF (205K)