Dr. Gomella Discusses Androgen-Deprivation Therapy

Leonard G. Gomella, MD, Bernard W. Godwin Jr. professor of prostate cancer and chairman of the Department of Urology, director of Clinical Affairs, Kimmel Cancer Center, discusses the minimum testosterone level achieved by androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) for men with advanced prostate cancer.

Research has revealed more details about the mechanisms involved in androgen's interaction with prostate cancer. Castrate-refractory or resistant prostate cancer may still respond to very low levels of hormones using different mechanisms. This has sparked the need to investigate the official definition of what castration levels of testosterone should be, which is currently considered 50 ng/dL,

Recent suggestive data insinuates that testosterone levels should be below 20 ng/dL in order to achieve optimal results. This level of testosterone is difficult to achieve using standard injectables, which raises the need to integrate new approaches. Gomella mentions that newer ADT agents have succeeded at driving testosterone levels below 20 ng/dL.