Hey fyi any other ppl on T, this is apparently a thing, where T makes some cells turn into prostate cells???
So this is throwing another wrench in my health stuff because I have a gene mutation for prostate cancer and none of my providers have been aware of this as a thing and have actually told me it’s irrelevant to me because I “don’t have a prostate.” But apparently it very much is a possibility that I have enough prostate cells that the cancer would still be a thing.
Yet another piece of evidence for how severely the medical system is letting down trans patients, how little research there is on our bodies, and how providers aren’t approaching trans patients differently from cis patients.
One hundred percent of vaginal specimens obtained from transmasculine individuals on testosterone therapy (21/21 cases) demonstrated prostat
Finally have something of an update to this — I’ve discussed it with any of my doctors who are relevant, and for most prostate cancers, a simple PSA blood test is enough for screening! There are some types of prostate cancer that don’t cause elevated PSA levels, though, so that won’t catch everything.
My genetic cancer team all agreed that it was a potential risk factor and that they would discuss with colleagues about how to handle it, as well as keep an eye out for any other related research that happens.
Additional info and clarification after meeting with my new endocrinologist:
1. Testosterone therapy itself is not something that increases prostate cancer risk, so for transmascs without genetic risk (like having the HOXB13 gene I have), this will essentially never be a concern.
2. PSA levels should be undetectable even with a few cells, even on finasteride (to control hair loss, which can also raise PSA levels), so if it’s ever detectable or elevated, that may require more investigation. He doesn’t believe that even having a few prostatic cells will significantly raise the risk of developing cancer, but reaffirmed that PSA level checks would be the best way of discovery.
