NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (MedPage Today) -- A subcutaneous testosterone implant has shown potential to reduce hormone-deficiency symptoms without raising estradiol levels in breast cancer survivors, data from a small clinical series showed.
Combined with the aromatase inhibitor anastrozole (Arimidex), the implant maintained an average testosterone level of 281 ng/dL with associated estradiol levels <30 pg/mL in 43 breast cancer patients.
Implants containing testosterone alone were associated with estradiol levels >30 pg/mL in 50 of 119 postmenopausal women without breast cancer. That compared with five of 75 (6.7%) combination implants in the breast cancer patients, Rebecca L. Glaser, MD, of Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, reported here at the Breast Cancer Symposium.
"We believe testosterone is beneficial to breast tissue, and, in fact, most of my referrals are from oncologists," Glaser told MedPage Today. "The downside is that testosterone can be aromatized into estradiol, which may stimulate breast tissue.
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