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Updated: May 31, 2026
Murine Orchiectomy and Ovariectomy to Reduce Sex Hormone Production
Published on: November 17, 2023
The pituitary-Leydig cell axis before and after orchiectomy in patients with stage I testicular cancer
Mikkel Bandak1, Lise Aksglaede, Anders Juul
1Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, Copenhagen, Denmark. mibandak@gmail.com
Introduction:
This study investigates the pituitary-Leydig cell axis in patients with stage I testicular germ cell cancer (TGCC) followed with surveillance only, in order to evaluate the risk of Leydig cell dysfunction one year after orchiectomy.
Patients And Methods:
A retrospective evaluation of reproductive hormones in patients with unilateral stage I TGCC (N=72) without relapse diagnosed between 1990 and 2008. A group of healthy males (N=706) served as controls.
Results:
Before orchiectomy there were no significant differences in luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone (T) levels between human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)-negative patients and controls, although 33% of the patients were outside the 97.5 percentile when using bivariate LH/T evaluation. At 1-year follow-up there was a significant increase in LH (ΔLH=2.04IU/L, p<0.001), and 57% of the patients had an LH/T relation outside the 97.5 percentile.
Conclusion:
Patients with stage I TGCC are at increased risk of having an LH/T relation outside the normal range one year after orchiectomy, suggesting insufficient Leydig-cell function. Whether a proportion of these patients will develop manifest hypogonadism and benefit from androgen therapy is yet to be clarified.
