Dr. Abraham Morgentaler

And in 1941, Charles Huggins, who went on to win the Nobel Prize, figured out the first treatment, first effective treatment for men with metastatic or advanced prostate cancer, which was castration or what we might call today androgen deprivation. And he deserved his Nobel Prize. Because that was the first time anybody had shown that any cancer could be hormone sensitive.

And in 1941, Charles Huggins, who went on to win the Nobel Prize, figured out the first treatment, first effective treatment for men with metastatic or advanced prostate cancer, which was castration or what we might call today androgen deprivation. And he deserved his Nobel Prize. Because that was the first time anybody had shown that any cancer could be hormone sensitive.

And he went on to work also with ovarian cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer. But he created the difficulty because he saw this as kind of like an either-or situation. If you remove testosterone, prostate cancers would shrink. And the biomarker they used then, which was called acid phosphatase before PSA, would go down just like we would expect PSA to go down.

And he went on to work also with ovarian cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer. But he created the difficulty because he saw this as kind of like an either-or situation. If you remove testosterone, prostate cancers would shrink. And the biomarker they used then, which was called acid phosphatase before PSA, would go down just like we would expect PSA to go down.

And he went on to work also with ovarian cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer. But he created the difficulty because he saw this as kind of like an either-or situation. If you remove testosterone, prostate cancers would shrink. And the biomarker they used then, which was called acid phosphatase before PSA, would go down just like we would expect PSA to go down.

And if it was present, he believed, or if you gave testosterone, he believed that it would make the cancer grow rapidly. Today we know, and I'd like to take some credit for it together with my colleague Abdul Tresh, we know that there's a limited amount, limited ability of androgens to stimulate prostate cancer growth or prostate growth. And that limit is achieved at a pretty low concentration.

And if it was present, he believed, or if you gave testosterone, he believed that it would make the cancer grow rapidly. Today we know, and I'd like to take some credit for it together with my colleague Abdul Tresh, we know that there's a limited amount, limited ability of androgens to stimulate prostate cancer growth or prostate growth. And that limit is achieved at a pretty low concentration.

And if it was present, he believed, or if you gave testosterone, he believed that it would make the cancer grow rapidly. Today we know, and I'd like to take some credit for it together with my colleague Abdul Tresh, we know that there's a limited amount, limited ability of androgens to stimulate prostate cancer growth or prostate growth. And that limit is achieved at a pretty low concentration.

We call it the saturation point. Prostate tissue needs androgens like testosterone for sure, but it can only use a little bit. And once you have enough, that's it. It's kind of like a plant with water. If you deprive it of water, it shrinks. If you give it back water, it'll grow. But once it has enough water, you can pour water into it all day long.

We call it the saturation point. Prostate tissue needs androgens like testosterone for sure, but it can only use a little bit. And once you have enough, that's it. It's kind of like a plant with water. If you deprive it of water, it shrinks. If you give it back water, it'll grow. But once it has enough water, you can pour water into it all day long.

We call it the saturation point. Prostate tissue needs androgens like testosterone for sure, but it can only use a little bit. And once you have enough, that's it. It's kind of like a plant with water. If you deprive it of water, it shrinks. If you give it back water, it'll grow. But once it has enough water, you can pour water into it all day long.

And let's say a houseplant will never grow to be the size of a tall tree. Because... It's not water that's limiting its growth anymore. So it's just unbelievable how things have changed. Unbelievable. And what's amazing to me is, is that we know that a lot of the original beliefs I guess this is a family show, so I'll be careful what words I use, but it's just not true.

And let's say a houseplant will never grow to be the size of a tall tree. Because... It's not water that's limiting its growth anymore. So it's just unbelievable how things have changed. Unbelievable. And what's amazing to me is, is that we know that a lot of the original beliefs I guess this is a family show, so I'll be careful what words I use, but it's just not true.

And let's say a houseplant will never grow to be the size of a tall tree. Because... It's not water that's limiting its growth anymore. So it's just unbelievable how things have changed. Unbelievable. And what's amazing to me is, is that we know that a lot of the original beliefs I guess this is a family show, so I'll be careful what words I use, but it's just not true.

And yet we still have major restrictions on how we're supposed to use or rather avoid testosterone, especially in men with a history of prostate cancer. And I don't think any of those are scientifically based.

And yet we still have major restrictions on how we're supposed to use or rather avoid testosterone, especially in men with a history of prostate cancer. And I don't think any of those are scientifically based.

And yet we still have major restrictions on how we're supposed to use or rather avoid testosterone, especially in men with a history of prostate cancer. And I don't think any of those are scientifically based.

How did that happen? It's a good story. So, listen, you know, when I was a young urologist, All I really wanted to do, when you finish your residency, you're not a complete urologist or surgeon yet, right? Like you're hopefully reasonably safe, but you're not skilled. And the challenges then were to do things right, to learn how to do, to become a better surgeon, more efficient.

How did that happen? It's a good story. So, listen, you know, when I was a young urologist, All I really wanted to do, when you finish your residency, you're not a complete urologist or surgeon yet, right? Like you're hopefully reasonably safe, but you're not skilled. And the challenges then were to do things right, to learn how to do, to become a better surgeon, more efficient.

How did that happen? It's a good story. So, listen, you know, when I was a young urologist, All I really wanted to do, when you finish your residency, you're not a complete urologist or surgeon yet, right? Like you're hopefully reasonably safe, but you're not skilled. And the challenges then were to do things right, to learn how to do, to become a better surgeon, more efficient.