OBJECTIVETo analyze the effect of castration on risk factors for arteriosclerosis of patients with prostate cancer.

METHODSThirty patients with primary regional prostate adenocarcinoma limited to the prostate theca were selected in this study. Serum levels of testosterone (T), free testosterone (FT), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), prostatic specific antigen (PSA), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), apoprotein alpha(1) (APOalpha(1)) and apoprotein beta (APObeta), insulin, plasma fibrinopeptide A (FPA), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and fibrinogen were determined just prior to, 1 week and 1, 4 and 8 months after castration.

RESULTST, FT and PSA decreased significantly 1 week after castration (21.12 +/- 15.11 ng/ml vs 383.9 +/- 62.6 ng/ml, P < 0.001; 4.08 +/- 3.29 pmol/L vs 34.11 +/- 11.59 pmol/L, P < 0.001; 14.34 +/- 7.77 ng/ml vs 23.51 +/- 6.57 ng/ml, P = 0.001, respectively) and continued to decrease until reaching their lowest levels 8 months after castration. DHEA and SHBG did not undergo any changes. TG, fasting insulin and glucose, 2-hour insulin and glucose levels were significantly elevated 1 month after castration (1.84 +/- 0.61 mmol/L vs 1.30 +/- 0.40 mmol/L, P < 0.05; 18.16 +/- 5.57 mU/L vs 9.47 +/- 3.81 mU/L, P < 0.05; 4.77 +/- 0.66 mmol/L vs 3.92 +/- 0.34 mmol/L, P < 0.05; 65.52 +/- 14.78 mU/L vs 36.94 +/- 17.12 mU/L, P < 0.01; 6.98 +/- 0.79 mmol/L vs 6.01 +/- 0.23 mmol/L, P = 0.001, respectively). TC, LDL-C, FPA and PAI-1 levels were elevated 4 months after castration (6.56 +/- 0.99 mmol/L vs 5.29 +/- 0.75 mmol/L, P < 0.01; 4.09 +/- 0.86 mmol/L vs 3.04 +/- 0.15 mmol/L, P < 0.01; 3.39 +/- 1.67 nmol/L vs 1.48 +/- 0.50 nmol/L, P < 0.01; 27.02 +/- 5.98 ng/ml vs 21.78 +/- 3.16 ng/ml, P < 0.05, respectively), continuing to increase after that point. Insulin sensitive index (ISI) decreased significantly 1 month after surgery (-4.42 +/- 0.36 vs -3.50 +/- 0.39, P < 0.001), and continued to decrease from that point forward. HDL-C, APOalpha(1), APObeta and fibrinogen remained at pre-operative levels. There was a negative linear correlation between FT and TG, TC, LDL-C, PAI-1, FPA, fasting insulin and glucose, 2-hour insulin and glucose (r = -0.311, -0.384, -0.385, -0.339, -0.353, -0.381, -0.303, -0.460 and -0.395, respectively; P < 0.05). A similar phenomenon occurred with T (r = -0.308, -0.309, -0.356, -0.320, -0.430, -0.453, -0.435, -0.483 and -0.512, respectively; P < 0.05). T and FT were positively associated with ISI (r = 0.555 and 0.501; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONSAt 8 months follow-up of the study subjects, we found that lower androgen levels have adverse effects on lipid metabolism, coagulative function and insulin sensitivity, related to arteriosclerosis in men.