Do Low Testosterone Levels Cause Prostate Cancer? Harvard Urologist Explains

Jul 28, 2025

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In this episode, Dr. Morgentaler talks about how low testosterone—not high—might actually be the real risk factor for prostate cancer, challenging decades of outdated beliefs. 00:28 – Historical Beliefs and Misconceptions For decades, doctors thought testosterone fueled prostate cancer like gas on a fire—but that fear was based on outdated science. 03:27 – The Traverse Trial: Debunking Myths A massive 2023 study proved testosterone therapy doesn't raise prostate cancer risk—finally putting that old myth to rest. 06:00 – Exploring Low Testosterone as a Risk Factor Now the big question is: could low testosterone actually make prostate cancer more likely? 06:56 – Gleason Scores and Testosterone Levels Turns out, the more aggressive the cancer, the lower the testosterone levels tend to be. 11:25 – Animal Studies and Final Thoughts Even lab studies in rats and cancer cells suggest low testosterone may feed tumor growth—flipping the old story on its head. Resources: Huggins and Hodges (1941) Huggins, C., & Hodges, C. V. (1941). Studies on prostatic cancer: The effect of castration, of estrogen and of androgen injection on serum phosphatases in metastatic carcinoma of the prostate. Cancer Research, 1(4), 293–297. TRAVERSE Trial (2023) Lincoff, A. M., Nissen, S. E., Wolski, K., Bhatnagar, A., Glasser, D. B., Picard, D. W., ... & Thirumalai, S. (2023). Cardiovascular safety of testosterone-replacement therapy. The New England Journal of Medicine, 388(8), 698–710. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2215025 Chu et al. (Lab study) Chuu, C. P., Chen, R. Y., Kokontis, J. M., Hiipakka, R. A., & Liao, S. (2009). Suppression of androgen receptor signaling and prostate specific antigen expression by (−)-gossypol in prostate cancer cells. The Prostate, 69(1), 31–40. https://doi.org/10.1002/pros.20849 Tu et al. (PSA levels and testosterone) Tu, X. M., Lu, Y. Y., Zhang, S. H., Zhang, W., & Wang, H. (2014). The relationship between serum testosterone and prostate-specific antigen levels in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer. Asian Journal of Andrology, 16(5), 757–761. https://doi.org/10.4103/1008-682X.126384 With Dr. Abraham Morgentaler and Dr. Marianne Brandon Listen to the podcast on all of your favorite platforms: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ec/podcast/the-sex-doctors/id1761813985?l=en-GB Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0apSFzquJXKoOGnmI6ndgT?si=e5a1e482c7ca46c7 Find us on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesexdoctors?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesexdoctors YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thesexdoctorspod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thesexdoctor LinkedIn (Dr. Abraham): https://www.linkedin.com/in/abraham-morgentaler-md-81628b6 LinkedIn (Dr. Marianne): https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariannebrandon-59224513 X (Dr. Abraham): https://x.com/DrMorgentaler X (Dr. Marianne): https://x.com/drbrandon #ProstateCancerMyths #TestosteroneTherapy #LowTestosteroneRisks