How long after RRP?  I don't know that I'd be willing to spread the one
thing that PCa needs to grow strong in my body until I was DAMN sure
that there were no cells lurking there waiting for a free lunch

Maybe it's just me but I'm now five years post-RRP with no detectable
PSA and I don't think I'd want to risk it without a LOT of research and
encouragement from docs who do nothing but study PCa.

Boy, I really hate to wade in on this topic but it's an important one
for me.  I was age 57 and on TRT during the summer of '03' when a DRE
discovered a small bump. PSA was 4 and if I recall correctly I was T1c
and a 3+3. Stopped the TRT and had the RRP in Oct. 03 and after about 6
months starting bugging my Uro-doc and Endo-doc about resuming TRT. they
put me off until I had several good PSA's then let me start TRT again
this spring.

The primary reason I wanted to restart TRT was purely quality of life
more so than libido ( you have to be there to understand ). I had to
look at the prevailing theory that T promotes Pca and therefore I was
putting myself at higher risk for recurrence soooooo .......... I looked
at it this way  ( heard before and may be an over simplification )but !

Patient 1 ( myself ) has low T levels , organ confined PCA and a
successful RRP from a pathology standpoint, yet .... general knowledge (
not sure how smart the general is )says it borders on irresponsibility
to continue TRT because current theory suggests it might stimulate
remaining prostate cells into Pca.  Now my TRT therapy is only trying to
get me to a somewhat normal level, not "super stud".

Patient 2 ( whoever ) same Dx , same outcome BUT has normal levels of T
is not placed on any therapies to reduce T levels.

My question was how come the difference. Is TRT to achieve normal levels
somehow more stimulating to prostate tissue than a man's normal T
levels. In other words given 2 males of identical circumstances with Pca
and RRP's why is raising my T level to 400 ( pick a number ) via TRT
more dangerous than the other guy whose level is a natural 400. If
someone can verify to me that the artificial enhancement of T is in
itself a problem then I'll sit up and listen more.

And the debate rages on. Unless my doc's are not telling me something I
will not start worrying to much about continuing TRT until most Pca
survivors are put on T reducing therapies to lessen their risk of Pca
recurrence.

JimBob
"Master of the Sr. Moment"

Ly,

Dr. Leibowitz and Dr. Tucker have been using high testosterone therapy
extremely successfully in place of surgery for a number of years now.
You can get more information by reading:

http://www.prostateweb.com/docs/HDTRT9.doc

If you want to understand the science behind why high dose testosterone
is so successful in killing prostate cancer, you should read:

http://www.tbiomed.com/content/2/1/10

One note of caution - I used to think that high dose testosterone plus
5AR2 inhibitors were sufficient to safely kill prostate cancer.
However, I now know that it is essential to use a doctor who understands
how to optimize the levels of all of your hormones, not just one or two.
 (Fortunately, I found just such a doctor here in Chicago.)

Ed Friedman

I did, in a sense. I tried a one-month experiment of ADT, and its initial
flare of T felt GREAT. It enhanced my already high energy level, helped me
sleep better, had me literally and physically dancin' a jig of joy many
times a day. If it weren't for two major drawbacks to T therapy I'd jump on
that stuff: One, we never know whether we have PC micromets waiting for more
T byproducts to trigger their vigor, and two, supplemental T is medically
not a free lunch even for those w/o any PC history. It is, however, worth
the risks for some people with real T shortages.

I.P.

I did "T" 6 years B4 RRP, and have continued as B4 with it. (In the
form of 25 mg DHEA/day.) 21 mos after RRP with neg surg margins PSA = <
.2. Uro surgeon knew of my use of DHEA, and didn't say much about it,
except that it may have accelerated the PCA resulting in an earlier
RRP. I couldn't do without T, it is a quality of life issue, not done
for sexual "prowess".