It does seem so! Below is an abstract, go to www.pubmed.org to locate
the full-text...
Aging Male. 2003 Sep;6(3):166-74.
The effect of androgen supplementation therapy on the prostate.
Kaufman JM.
With the recent availability of transdermal formulations, androgen
supplementation therapy is increasingly being prescribed for men in
their 50s and 60s. With the growing use of testosterone products,
there is concern about the long-term risks of androgen supplementation
therapy, particularly on the prostate. This article reviews what is
known about the safety of testosterone replacement therapy in terms of
the potential risks for development of symptomatic benign prostatic
hypertrophy (BPH) and prostate cancer. Androgens are undoubtedly
involved in the growth of benign prostatic nodules, as a permissive
factor in the etiology of prostate carcinoma and in the enhancement of
the growth of active prostate cancer. Their role in the initiation of
either disease is less clear. Available data support the safety of
such treatment in the short term. Caution is still advised in the
interpretation of these findings, as the studies producing the data
have involved relatively small numbers of participants. Until large,
long-term, placebo-controlled studies have been conducted and
analyzed, questions about the long-term safety of testosterone
supplementation therapy in older men will remain.
And you are right that such effects are benign, see the following abstract:
Can J Urol. 2006 Feb;13 Suppl 1:40-3.
Testosterone replacement therapy and prostate risks: where's the beef?
Morgentaler A.
It has been part of the conventional medical wisdom for six
decades that higher testosterone in some way increases the risk of
prostate cancer. This belief is derived largely from the
well-documented regression of prostate cancer in the face of surgical
or pharmacological castration. However, there is an absence of
scientific data supporting the concept that higher testosterone levels
are associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer.
Specifically, no increased risk of prostate cancer was noted in 1)
clinical trials of testosterone supplementation, 2) longitudinal
population-based studies, or 3) in a high-risk population of
hypogonadal men receiving testosterone treatment. Moreover,
hypogonadal men have a substantial rate of biopsy-detectable prostate
cancer, suggesting that low testosterone has no protective effect
against development of prostate cancer. These results argue against an
increased risk of prostate cancer with testosterone replacement
therapy. |
