This study investigated the role of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in prostate safety and cancer progression. A cohort of 553 patients, 42 treated and 162 untreated hypogonadal men, and 349 eugonadal men were included. Pathological analysis of prostate biopsies examining the incidence and severity of PCa revealed that: 16.7% of treated hypogonadal men had a positive biopsy, a Gleason score of ≤6 in 71.4% and >6 in 28.6% of men, a predominant score of 3 and tumour staging of II in 85.7% men; 51.9% of untreated hypogonadal men had a positive biopsy, a Gleason score of ≤6 in 40.5% and >6 in 59.5% men, a predominant score of 3 (77.4%) and tumour staging of II (41.7%) or III (40.5%); 37.8% of eugonadal men had a positive biopsy, a Gleason score of ≤6 in 42.4% and >6 in 57.6% of men, a predominant score of 3 (82.6%) and tumour staging of II (44.7%) or III (47.7%). The incidence of positive prostate biopsies was lowest in hypogonadal men receiving TRT, with significantly lower severity of PCa in terms of staging and grading in the same group. These results suggest that TRT might have a protective effect against high-grade PCa.
Keywords: Gleason score; Hypogonadism; androgen receptor; prostate cancer; testosterone; tumor grading; tumor staging.