Testosterone Increases Colon Cancer Risk

Testosterone can increase the risk of cancer. Now, recent research conducted by scientists at the University of Missouri shows that women are less likely than men to develop non-sex specific cancer of the colon, stomach or pancreas due to female hormones such as estrogen.

Lead study author James Amos-Landgraf, an assistant professor of veterinary pathobiology at the MU College of Veterinary Medicine, examined a group of healthy male rats with normal testosterone levels.

When he removed the testosterone from the male rats, he found that colon cancer rates had decreased dramatically. However, when he reintroduced them to testosterone, the colon cancer risk went back up to normal.

"Previously, scientists believed that female hormones may have lent some sort of protection against tumor susceptibility," Amos-Landgraf said in a news release. "However, by showing that removing testosterone from rats leads to a drastic decrease in colon cancer susceptibility, it appears that male hormones may actually contribute to colon tumor growth rather than female hormones being protective."

As previous studies have examined how post-menopausal women are more likely to develop breast cancer, noting that women's testosterone levels become significantly higher as they age.

"This corresponds to the time when they begin to experience higher rates of colon cancer and could be a sign of a relationship between testosterone levels and colon tumor growth," Amos-Landgraf concluded.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

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