Retrospective study of testosterone deficiency and symptom burden in patients with pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer patients have poor quality of life. Testosterone deficiency is associated with constitutional symptoms and sexual dysfunction which may contribute to poor quality of life. We investigated the prevalence of screening for and presence of testosterone deficiency in male pancreatic cancer patients.

To determine the frequency of screening for testosterone deficiency in pancreatic cancer patients, our institution's electronic medical record system was queried for male patients diagnosed with a pancreatic mass between 2006 and 2020 and an available testosterone level. In a separate analysis, total testosterone was measured in serum samples from a cohort of 89 male pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients. Low serum testosterone was defined as <300 ng/dL.

One thousand five hundred and sixty-six male patients were identified with a pancreatic mass, and 35 (2.2%) also had a testosterone level. In our analysis cohort, 44 of 89 patients (49.4%) were found to have low serum testosterone. Symptoms consistent with testosterone deficiency were documented for 70% of these patients, with fatigue being the most common. Testosterone level had no significant association with progression-free survival (PFS) (P=0.66) or overall survival (OS) (P=0.95).

Testosterone deficiency is common but rarely assessed in male patients with pancreatic cancer. Further studies are warranted to explore the possibility of testosterone supplementation to improve quality of life in this patient population.