Understanding testosterone

As we know blocking testosterone production halts tumour growth in early disease, while elevating the hormone can delay disease progression in patients whose disease has advanced. This never made that much sense....Now it seems we have an explanation: 

"The researchers found that prostate cancer cells are hardwired with a system that allows them to proliferate when the levels of testosterone are very low. But when hormone levels are elevated to resemble those present in the normal prostate, the cancer cells differentiate....It turned out to be rather simple. When androgen levels are low, the androgen receptor is encouraged to “go solo” in the cell. In doing so, it activates the pathways that cause cancer cells to grow and spread. However, as androgens rise, the androgen receptors are forced to “hang out as a couple,” creating a form of the receptor that halts tumor growth. Nature has designed a system where low doses of hormones stimulate cancer cell proliferation and high doses cause differentiation and suppress growth, enabling the same hormone to perform diverse functions."

Here's the research article: https://corporate.dukehealth.org/news/study-solves-testosterones-paradoxical-effects-prostate-cancer

Here's also Chris Woollams at Canceractive writing in 2020 about hormone treatment (before this recent discovery). His article is an interesting look at current practice and a possibly different approach to hormones: https://www.canceractive.com/article/the-reality-of-lowered-testosterone-and-higher-oestrogen-in-men-counters-orthodox-theories-of-prostate-cancer He concludes rather grimly: "It all really seems a bit of a mess. Low Testosterone makes matters worse and standard treatment is to cut testosterone! Blood fat levels make matters worse, and standard treatment raises them! Anti-oestrogens seem to do a good job and no oncologist thinks to explore an anti-oestrogen, or indole 3 carbinol, or melatonin?. Meanwhile the number of prostate deaths climb, and recurrence is a major factor. As a friend of mine with a prostate cancer a decade ago said 'there doesn't seem to be best practice in prostate cancer'. He could well be right."

We still have a way to go - the latest research is very useful in helping us understand.