1. Huggins C, Hodges CV. Studies on prostatic cancer; the effects of castration, of estrogen, and of androgen injection on serum phosphatases in metastatic carcinoma of the prostate. Cancer Res. 1941;1:293–7. Despite the fact that this article was written over 60 years ago, the concept of androgen deprivation to treat prostate cancer remains one of the most important therapeutic discoveries within modern medicine. The article outlines the course of 8 patients with advanced prostate cancer who were treated successfully with surgical orchiectomy. Two of the patients received simultaneous testosterone replacement, which buffered the therapeutic effects of the androgen deprivation. The investigators conclude that testosterone incites prostate cancer to develop and grow, which remains the basis for current FDA guidelines, which indicate that testosterone is contraindicated in men with prostate cancer.
2. Siegel R, Naishadham D, Jemal A. Cancer statistics, 2013. CA Cancer J Clin. 2013;63(1):11–30.
3. Cooperberg MR, Lubeck DP, Meng MV, Mehta SS, Carroll PR. The changing face of low-risk prostate cancer: trends in the clinical presentation and primary management. J Clin Oncol. 2004;22:2141–9.
4. Harman SM, Metter EJ, Tobin JD, Pearson J, Blackman MR. Longitudinal effects of aging on serum total and free testosterone levels in healthy men. Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2001;86:724–31.
5. Wang C, Nieschlag E, Swerdloff R, Behre HM, Hellstrom WJ, Gooren LJ, et al. Investigation, treatment, and monitoring of late-onset hypogonadism in males: ISA, ISSAM, EAU, EAA, and ASA recommendations. Eur Urol. 2009;55:121–30. This article is a collaborative effort across several disciplines, represented by the groups within the title. The article provides a comprehensive overview of hypogonadism, including definitions, clinical and laboratory diagnostic criteria, and treatment recommendations.