Prostate cancer is a very common form of cancer among men, according to Welt.
For many, the disease develops slowly and without clear symptoms in its early stages.
However, some patients develop a more aggressive form that can quickly spread to other parts of the body.
This makes it important to be able to predict which patients are at risk.
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Treatment and assessment
In cases of early-stage prostate cancer, doctors often choose active surveillance. This means monitoring the disease instead of starting treatment immediately.
The aim is to avoid unnecessary treatment if the cancer progresses slowly. However, this requires doctors to assess the risk accurately.
Today, factors such as age, BMI, and blood tests are used to evaluate the progression of the disease. Nevertheless, it remains difficult to predict who will develop an aggressive form.
New insights
According to a study from the University of Texas, published in the Journal of Urology and reported by Welt, the hormone testosterone may play an important role.
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Researchers analyzed data from more than 900 men. The results showed that men with low testosterone levels had a higher risk of developing an aggressive form of cancer.
In particular, men with levels below 300 ng/dl had approximately a 60 percent higher risk of the disease becoming severe.
The study does not show that low testosterone causes aggressive cancer, but it suggests that hormone levels could be used as an important indicator when doctors assess disease progression.
Sources: Welt, and Journal of Urology.
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This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.