NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Men with high levels of testosterone may be five times more likely to develop prostate cancer, a new study suggests.
The study, conducted on more than 200 thousand British men, that two hormones, monitored in a simple blood test, can predict the risk of prostate cancer.
The study found that men with higher levels of the male hormone, known as testosterone, in their blood were 18 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer than those with lower levels of the hormone in their blood.
Those with higher levels of a hormone called IGF-I experienced a 25% increase in risk compared to those with the lowest levels.
When prostate cells grow and divide faster, there is a greater chance that errors will crawl into their own genetic code and transcripting cells will be replicated, causing cancer.
It is unlikely that men will be given drugs to lower levels of these hormones in the future, as this may have indirect side effects on health.