Biological actions of estradiol in men trial

This study will evaluate the effect of estradiol on bone architecture and fat mass in men with prostate cancer. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are male, and have been diagnosed with prostate cancer for which you are about to commence treatment with GnRH agonists or antagonists to suppress androgen production (Androgen Deprivation Therapy; ADT) Study details Participants in this study will be randomly allocated (by chance) to one of two groups. Participants in one group will apply estradiol gel to the skin once daily for six months. Participants in the other group will apply a placebo gel (contains no active ingredients) to the skin once daily for six months. Recent evidence suggests that in men, some important biological actions attributed to testosterone are mediated via its metabolite, estradiol, rather than directly via the androgen receptor. We propose to use ADT given to men with prostate cancer as a unique model of severe long-term untreated hypogonadism to investigate biological actions of estradiol when testosterone is reduced to castrate levels. On completion of treatment at six months, participants will undergo a high resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pCT) scan to assess bone architecture and a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan to assess fat mass.