Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34029455›Full record

Trial reportJournal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle2021

Androgen replacement therapy for cancer-related symptoms in male: result of prospective randomized trial (ARTFORM study).

Kouji Izumi, Hiroaki Iwamoto, Hiroshi Yaegashi, Takahiro Nohara, Kazuyoshi Shigehara, Yoshifumi Kadono, Shigeki Nanjo, Tadaaki Yamada, Koshiro Ohtsubo, Seiji Yano and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
1.8field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Trial
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Hallmarks of Cancer Cachexia: Sexual Dimorphism in Related Pathways.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
  11. Review
  12. Relationship between endogenous testosterone and prostate carcinoma.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2022
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Kouji IzumiDepartment of Integrative Cancer Therapy and Urology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-8480-9100
Hiroaki IwamotoDepartment of Integrative Cancer Therapy and Urology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan.
Hiroshi YaegashiDepartment of Integrative Cancer Therapy and Urology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan.
Takahiro NoharaDepartment of Integrative Cancer Therapy and Urology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan.
Kazuyoshi ShigeharaDepartment of Integrative Cancer Therapy and Urology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan.
Yoshifumi KadonoDepartment of Integrative Cancer Therapy and Urology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan.
Shigeki NanjoDivision of Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
Tadaaki YamadaDivision of Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
Koshiro OhtsuboDivision of Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
Seiji YanoDivision of Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
Atsushi MizokamiDepartment of Integrative Cancer Therapy and Urology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan.
Kanazawa University · JP

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHypogonadism associated with cancer is reported to cause cachexia and a variety of physical and psychological symptoms. This study aims to evaluate whether androgen replacement therapy can improve cancer-related symptoms in male advanced cancer patients.

methodsAn investigator-initiated, prospective, and randomized controlled study was conducted. Patients with low serum testosterone levels (total or free testosterone levels were <2.31 ng/mL or <11.8 pg/mL, respectively) were randomly assigned to the control or testosterone enanthate administration (testosterone group) groups. Testosterone enanthate was injected into the muscle tissue at a dose of 250 mg every 4 weeks (baseline, week 4, and week 8). Differences in quality of life questionnaires and cachexia-related serum protein levels between groups were assessed.

resultsThis study enrolled and randomized 106 and 81 patients, respectively. Moreover, 41 and 40 patients were in the control and testosterone groups, respectively. Although no significant differences in the change of subscales and total scores in Functional Assessment of Anorexia/Cachexia Treatment were noted from the baseline between the two groups, the testosterone group showed a significantly better change in the 'unhappiness' item of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System at week 12 compared with baseline versus the control group (-1.4 and 0.0 points, respectively; mean, P = 0.007). No significant differences exist in the change of serum interleukin-6 and insulin-like growth factor-1 levels at week 12 from the baseline between the control and testosterone groups. Consequently, the testosterone group significantly inhibited the change in serum tumour necrotic factor-α level at week 12 from the baseline compared with the control group (+0.4 and +0.1 pg/mL, respectively; mean, P = 0.005).

conclusionsAlthough testosterone enanthate did not improve most of the items in health-related quality of life questionnaires, testosterone enanthate induced a significantly better change in the 'unhappiness' item at week 12 compared with the control. Testosterone enanthate may be a potential treatment option for male advanced cancer patients.

Indexed as

NeoplasmsQuality of LifeCachexiaHormone Replacement TherapyHumansMaleProspective StudiesTestosteroneTestosteroneAdvanced cancerAndrogen replacement therapyCachexiaHealth-related quality of lifeMale hypogonadism

Identifiers

PMID34029455
PMCPMC8350213
OpenAlexW3164528035

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.