Testosterone replacement therapy and the risk of prostate cancer: a perspective view.

The topic of testosterone (T) and prostate cancer is timely and provocative. The Institute of Medicine report on testosterone and aging suggested that knowledge regarding T-replacement therapy in aging men was inadequate, urging a cautious approach to T replacement in this population. The Food and Drug Administration appears to support this cautionary stance. Counter arguments by Rhoden and Morgentaler in the New England Journal of Medicine suggest that T-replacement therapy in aging men may be safe under controlled settings. This perspective continues the debate, and offers a unique perspective from the vantage point of a uro-oncologist.