Family history of prostate cancer and age-related trend of testosterone levels among US males: NHANES 2003–2004

Abstract

Background: Studies have suggested that rapid age-related declines of testosterone (T) level may play a critical role in the development of prostate cancer (PCa), and family history of PCa is another well-established risk factor of PCa, which have been reported to be associated with androgen metabolism-related genes. However, few studies have ever investigated whether a family history of PCa influences the risk of PCa via regulating the age-related trend of T level among males over the life course. Objectives: To examine the association between family history of PCa and age-related trend of T levels. Materials and Methods: We used National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2003 to 2004 (n = 322) to compare the age-specific T levels in males with a family history of PCa and those without. Results: We found that between two younger age groups (ages 20–39 and 40–59), there was a more pronounced drop-off in T levels among men with a family history of PCa compared to men without a family history. Discussion and Conclusion: This preliminary analysis suggested that men with a family history of PCa may experience a sharper decline in T level over the life course as compared to males without a family history. However, no conclusions can be made due to small sample sizes. Further longitudinal studies with large sample sizes are needed.