37 Background: SARS-CoV-2 entry into host cells is facilitated by the transmembrane protease TMPRSS2. TMPRSS2 expression can be modulated by the androgen receptor. It is unclear whether androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) may partially protect from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: A retrospective registry study of adult men with prostate cancer who underwent testing for SARS-CoV-2 in the UC Health System between February 1, 2020 and October 6, 2020 was performed. The University of California Health COVID Research Data Set (UC CORDS), which includes electronic health data of all patients who underwent testing for SARS-CoV-2 at 5 UC academic medical centers (UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Los Angeles, UC San Diego, and UC San Francisco) and 12 affiliated hospitals across California, was used. Association of SARS-CoV-2 infection and receipt of ADT (GnRH agonist or antagonist) within 90 days of COVID testing was determined using the Chi-Squared test. Analyses (Chi-Squared or Fisher’s exact tests) were also performed in race/ethnicity subgroups. Results: Overall, 2,948 men with prostate cancer who underwent SARS-CoV-2 testing were identified, of whom 59 (2.0%) tested positive. Of the 2,948 men, 2,124 (72%) were White; 219 (7%) Black or African-American; 182 (6%) Asian or Native Hawaiian/Pacific-Islander; 176 (6%) Other race; and 247 (8%) Unknown race. There were 235 (8%) Hispanic or Latino men. Among the 444 men who received ADT in the entire cohort, 7 (1.6%) tested positive, and among the 2,504 men who did not receive ADT, 52 (2.1%) tested positive (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.34-1.67, P = 0.49). No statistically significant association between ADT and SARS-CoV-2 positivity was found within race or ethnicity subgroups. Conclusions: No association between the use of ADT and the risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 was identified in this study of a diverse patient population in the University of California Health System medical centers and hospitals. In this setting of an overall low prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, thus far, there is no strong evidence of a protective benefit of ADT.
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