Testosterone Sero-Survey

Principal Investigator:	Stewart Fleishman, MD
Time frame of study:	Ongoing
Location of Study:	Beth Israel Medical Center St.Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center
Contact:	Continuum Cancer Research Program (212) 844-6286

Summary:
Fatigue - extreme tiredness - is associated with cancer as well as its treatment. It has many causes, including the direct effects of the cancer itself, nutritional changes, anemia, changes in activity levels, worry, or, perhaps, hormones such as testosterone. This study is a survey of the amount of testosterone in the blood of men being treated for cancers that are not directly influenced by testosterone (not prostate or testicular tumors). Testosterone is a hormone that is made by the body from teenage years through adulthood, and helps define male characteristics: sexual function, muscle building, ability to grow hair and deepen the voice. It is believed that the amount of fatigue experienced by men with cancer may be at least and in part due to reduced testosterone levels. A larger follow-up study is planned if testosterone levels are found to be lower in men with cancer than similar age men without cancer, or if low testosterone levels are associated with more fatigue.

Eligibility and Treatment Plan:
Male patients, 18 years and older, with a documented malignancy (excluding prostate, testicular, and male breast cancer), with no known HIV or hypogonadism (decreased gonad function), and no testosterone of DHEA supplementation within 3 months.

Patients will be asked to answer questions about their health, medications, vitamins & supplements, and to complete a standardized questionnaire about their quality of life. One tube of blood (8.5 cc) will be drawn at the same time as the other blood tests scheduled for that visit to avoid an additional blood draw. Various elements of the collected information will be compared with the testosterone levels to see if any meaningful patterns exist.

Benefits and/or Compensation:
Participants receive study-related medication at no charge under the supervision and care of a team of medical professionals. The information gathered from this study may be beneficial to future patients.