Effects of Estrogens on the Testosterone Levels of peripheral and Spermatic Vein Blood in Patients With Prostatic Cancer

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Abstract
The mean testosterone levels of peripheral and spermatic vein blood in 16 patients with prostatic cancer who did not have estrogen therapy were 418.2 .+-. 30.8 ng/dl (mean .+-. SE) and 39.7 .+-. 5.6 .mu.g/dl, respectively. There were 13 patients with prostatic cancer who received estrogen therapy with daily doses of 30 mg hexesterol or 300 mg diethylstilbestrol diphosphate and who had decisive decreases of testosterone levels in peripheral (90.1 .+-. 23.2 ng/dl) and spermatic vein blood (3.3 .+-. 1.2 .mu.g/dl). The rate of reduction of testosterone by estrogen therapy was 1/10 in the spermatic vein blood, while that in the peripheral blood was 1/5. Continuation of oral estrogens of these doses is sufficient to suppress the testicular androgens. The spermatic testosterone concentration was about 40 times higher than the peripheral testosterone concentration in patients receiving estrogen treatment. Testosterone may still be secreted from the testes under large therapeutic doses of estrogens.