A recent study has provided new insights into how testosterone levels recover after androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in men receiving radiotherapy for prostate cancer, which is crucial for enhancing patient care.
Researchers from the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have conducted a study that uncovers important information about testosterone recovery after androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in men undergoing radiation treatment for prostate cancer, offering valuable knowledge for improving patient care.
The study revealed that factors such as baseline testosterone levels, age, and the length of ADT are important indicators of testosterone recovery. By reviewing data from five key randomized controlled trials with 1,444 participants, the researchers established that individuals may experience varying rates of testosterone recovery. Additionally, they developed a nomogram, a useful predictive tool that helps doctors estimate how long recovery may take for each patient based on their specific traits.
ADT is commonly combined with radiotherapy to manage prostate cancer, but it significantly reduces testosterone levels. This drop can lead to adverse effects like tiredness, decreased sexual desire, and mood changes, all of which can negatively affect a patient’s quality of life. Understanding the recovery of testosterone following ADT is essential for enhancing patient outcomes, as it allows healthcare providers to weigh the benefits of testosterone suppression against its harmful side effects. The insights from this study offer a valuable framework for patients to understand their recovery timelines better and manage these effects more effectively.
The researchers discovered that the duration of ADT treatment affects recovery time. They noted that older age and lower initial testosterone levels tend to slow down the recovery process. Furthermore, for men undergoing six months of ADT, low testosterone levels maintained for about 11 months could lead to better metastasis-free survival, suggesting that a prolonged suppression period might be advantageous even in shorter ADT courses.
This research has significant implications for clinical practices, especially as newer treatments that promise rapid testosterone recovery become more widely used. For men on shorter ADT regimens, the findings indicate that a slower recovery pace, typical with traditional therapies, might provide better cancer management.
“Our findings give patients and healthcare providers important insights into what to expect following ADT treatment, enabling them to make informed choices regarding side effect management and improving long-term outcomes,” stated Dr. Amar Kishan, the study’s senior author and executive vice chair of radiation oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
The study was published in the journal European Urology.
The co-first authors of the research are Tahmineh Romero from UCLA and Wee Loon Ong from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. Other contributors from UCLA include John Nikitas, Michael Steinberg, Luca Valle, Matthew Rettig, Nicholas Nickols, Tommy Jiang, Robert Reiter, and Sriram Eleswarapu.
This research received partial funding from grants provided by the National Institutes of Health, the Radiological Society of North America, STOP Cancer, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
