Premium
Plasma androgen levels after subcapsular orchiectomy or estrogen treatment for prostatic carcinoma
Author(s) -
Vermeulen A.,
Schelfhout W.,
De Sy W.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
the prostate
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.295
H-Index - 123
eISSN - 1097-0045
pISSN - 0270-4137
DOI - 10.1002/pros.2990030203
Subject(s) - orchiectomy , medicine , estrogen , androgen , prostate , carcinoma , urology , endocrinology , oncology , hormone , cancer
In this study evolution of plasma androgen levels in patients with advanced prostatic carcinoma, treated by either subtotal bilateral orchiectomy or estrogens, was studied in order to determine whether subcapsular orchiectomy results in complete elimination of testicular testosterone secretion and whether in subsequent months there occurs any reactivation of eventually remaining Leydig or increased adrenal androgen secretion. This study, performed on 40 patients having undergone bilateral subcapsular orchiectomy for prostatic carcinoma, shows that this intervention results in testosterone levels in the female range and that during the year following subcapsular orchiectomy there is no evidence for reactivation of Leydig cells or for increased adrenal androgen secretion as evaluated from plasma testosterone, androstenedione, and dehydroepian‐drosterone sulphate levels. In patients treated with estrogens we found no evidence for stimulation of adrenal androgen secretion, whereas in neither group of patients with prostatic carcinoma we found evidence for increased androgen levels at the time of recurrence of the carcinoma.