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SOCIAL MEDIA
© 2023
Treatment of serious COVID-19 infection by combining suppression of testosterone and using a high dose of estrogens
/in News, PublicationsPantarhei Oncology announces the publication of its scientific paper “Testosterone suppression combined with high-dose estrogen as potential treatment of serious COVID-19 infection” (Heliyon 8 (2022) e12376)
COVID-19 infections are more serious and have a higher mortality in males compared to females especially at ages above 50 years. This is related to the 10-20x higher testosterone (T) levels in males. Suppression of T in males with serious COVID-19 has no consistent effect on the clinical outcome. However, by suppressing T in males, also their estrogen levels are decreased while estrogens have a favorable inhibitory effect on the factors responsible for the COVID-19 infection. Therefore, we hypothesize that a combination of T suppression by androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) and high-dose estrogen (HDE) treatment may be an effective treatment of serious COVID-19, to be confirmed in in seriously ill COVID-19 patients.
The scientific background of this hypothesis
Most studies report a higher incidence of serious COVID-19 infections in males compared to females especially at ages above 50 years, which may be due to sex-related immunomodulation. A resulting higher mortality rate has been published in Maturitas, both in a meta-analysis performed in May 2020 and in a recent retrospective analysis. These observations could be associated with the 10-20x higher testosterone level in males, since testosterone has unfavourable effects on the immune system, and also stimulates angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) and the androgen-regulated protease transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2), which both facilitate the entry of the COVID-19 virus into the cell. Testosterone suppression by ADT decreases the effects of ACE2 and TMPRSS2. Estrogen treatment (ET) has the same beneficial suppressive effect on ACE2 and TMPRSS2 as ADT. Both ADT and ET (ADET) have been investigated separately as possible treatments of SARS-CoV-2. We hypothesize that the ADET combination may be more effective than its components alone, as also suggested in our Research Letter in European Urology (2021), entitled ‘Treatment of Serious COVID-19 with Testosterone Suppression and High-dose Estrogen (HDE) Therapy‘. The ADET co-treatment has been investigated successfully by Pantarhei Oncology in patients with advanced prostate cancer (Eur Urol Open Science, 2021 & 2022). We searched the literature for evidence of COVID-19 treatment benefits with estrogens, progesterone, androgen deprivation, and anti-androgens. Data supporting the effect of ADT on SARS-CoV-2 are sparse, but the favorable effects of estrogens in relation to COVID-19 have been shown in various cohort studies.
Based on the outcome of our review and the mode of action of the ADET combination, we hypothesize that a combination of ADT and HDE may be an effective and safe treatment of serious SARS-CoV-2 and we propose to test this ADET hypothesis in a clinical trial.
“Maintaining bone health by estrogen therapy in patients with advanced prostate cancer: a narrative review”
/in News, PublicationsPantarhei Oncology proudly announces that its paper “Maintaining bone health by estrogen therapy in patients with advanced prostate cancer: a narrative review” “Maintaining bone health by estrogen therapy in patients with advanced prostate cancer: a narrative review” has been published in the journal Endocrine Connections after comprehensive review. This journal is an international peer-reviewed, scientific, open access journal in the field of endocrinology.
In this paper we review the new and safer estrogen therapies, including high dose estetrol (HDE4), to maintain bone mass and prevent fractures in advanced prostate cancer patients treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).
Estetrol Prevents Hot Flushes and Improves Quality of Life in Patients with Advanced Prostate Cancer Treated with Androgen Deprivation Therapy: The PCombi Study
/in News, PublicationsPantarhei Oncology proudly announces that its paper ‘Estetrol Prevents Hot Flushes and Improves Quality of Life in Patients with Advanced Prostate Cancer Treated with Androgen Deprivation Therapy: The PCombi Study’ has been published in the journal European Urology Open Science after comprehensive review. This journal is an international peer-reviewed, scientific, open access journal in the field of urology.
This paper summarises the very important data on the beneficial effects of high dose estetrol (HDE4) on the Quality of Life of prostate cancer patients treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).