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Testosterone Profiles After Brachytherapy for Localized Prostate Cancer

Taniguchi H, Kawakita S, Kinoshita H, Murota T, Matsuda T

Urology, 2019

102 participants

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patients' serum total testosterone levels (STLs) after brachytherapy (BT) for prostate cancer.

METHODS: We enrolled 102 men who underwent permanent interstitial BT using I125 without androgen deprivation therapy for localized prostate cancer. Seed BT radiation dose was 145 Gy. Patients were followed for 24-60 months after BT. The primary outcome was STL kinetics after BT. Predictors of testosterone decrease were also analyzed.

RESULTS: Median preimplantation STL was 4.18 ng/mL. STL decreased significantly to a median nadir of 89.4% of baseline (3.72 ng/mL) occurring at 6 months, and then recovered to baseline at 18 months after BT. The group of patients whose STLs fell below 3.00 ng/mL (biochemical hypogonadism) after BT started with lower baseline STLs (median: 3.54 ng/mL) than patients whose STLs did not fall below 3.00 ng/mL (median: 4.90 ng/mL). The group of patients whose STLs decreased by more than 1.00 ng/mL over the study period had significantly higher median baseline STLs (median: 5.05 ng/mL) than the group whose STLs decreased by less than 1.00 ng/mL (median: 3.64 ng/mL).

CONCLUSION: Although STL decreased significantly after I125-based BT, STL decline after treatment for localized prostate cancer was not large and recovered over time.

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 102 participants or records.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

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