Androgen therapy has the theoretical potential to promote prostate cancer growth, but there is a lack of sufficient evidence to support this.
Therefore, middle-aged and older patients should have a rectal exam and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test every 6 months while on androgen therapy, and if either indicator is abnormal, androgen therapy should be stopped and a prostate puncture biopsy should be considered to clarify the presence of cancer.