Radiotherapy for Rectal Cancer Is Associated with Testes Dysfunction

Testosterone levels were lower and FSH and LH levels were higher in men who underwent radiotherapy than in men who did not.

In men who undergo radiation therapy for rectal cancer, the testes receive scattered radiation. Whether this exposure has long-term consequences on testicular dysfunction is unknown.

In a case-control study, researchers identified 266 men in the Norwegian Rectal Cancer Registry who were treated with radiation therapy from 1992 through 2004. Controls were 384 men in the same registry who were treated with surgery alone. Of these patients, 290 men (116 of whom received radiation therapy) consented to the study and had blood drawn for determination of total testosterone, sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels. Free testosterone values were calculated.

Compared with controls, p…

Reviewing Author

Barbara A. Murphy, MD

Radiotherapy for Rectal Cancer Is Associated with Testes Dysfunction

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Reviewing Author