Oncologic Outcomes of Testosterone Therapy for Men on Active Surveillance for Prostate Cancer: A Population-based Analysis

Background and objective: There is insufficient evidence on the oncologic risks of testosterone therapy for men with prostate cancer managed with active surveillance. We carried out a retrospective study to assess the effect of testosterone therapy on oncologic outcomes for men on active surveillance for prostate cancer. Methods: Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked data were used to identify men diagnosed with prostate cancer from 2008 to 2017 who were managed with active surveillance and received testosterone (n = 167) or no testosterone (n = 6658) therapy. Outcomes included conversion from active surveillance to active treatment (radical prostatectomy, cryotherapy, radiation, or androgen deprivation therapy), prostate cancer–specific mortality, and overall mortality. Statistically significant factors on univariable analysis were included in a Cox proportional-hazards regression model for multivariable analysis. Key findings and limitations: The median age was 71 yr (interquartile range [IQR] 68–74) in the testosterone group and 72 yr (IQR 69–75) in the no-testosterone group, with corresponding median follow-up after prostate cancer diagnosis of 5.2 yr (IQR 3.4–7.8) and 4.7 yr (IQR 3.2–6.9). There were no prostate cancer–specific deaths in the testosterone group and 39 (0.6%) in the no-testosterone group. Testosterone therapy was not associated with conversion to active treatment (hazard ratio [HR] 0.66, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.46–0.97; p = 0.033) or overall mortality (HR 1.02, 95% CI 0.68–1.53; p > 0.9). Conclusions and clinical implications: In the first population-based, nationally representative study of testosterone therapy for men on active surveillance for prostate cancer, testosterone therapy did not increase the risk of conversion to active therapy or worsen mortality. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings. Patient summary: For men on active surveillance for prostate cancer, we assessed the effect of testosterone therapy. We found that testosterone therapy did not increase the risk of proceeding to active therapy or of death from prostate cancer.