A decade ago, a drug sold as Proscar by Merck & Co. (and in generic form as Finasteride) was found to cut the risk of prostate cancer, but researchers also noted a slight increase in aggressive tumors among some of the patients. One group of scientists pointed out that by shrinking the size of an enlarged prostate, the drug simply made the tumors easier to find, and was not actually causing them. Nonetheless, the drug was turned down for cancer prevention at that time.
Recently that drug received a second look. A long term follow-up study concluded the hormone-blocking drug cut the risk of low-grade prostate cancer by 30% without raising the risk of dying from an aggressive form of the disease. Current data shows that most prostate cancers in older men are slow-growing, asymptomatic and non-life threatening.
In traditional diagnosis, men are screened for prostate cancer through a blood test that monitors prostate-specific antigen, or PSA. Elevated levels have been correlated to the risk of prostate cancer. The problem with PSA screening is that many men with elevated levels would not have actually developed life-threatening prostate cancer, and are treated unnecessarily. While PSA testing may result in the decrease of 1 death in 1000 men screened, the side-effects from over-treating are more risky.
Dr. LeFevre, professor at University of Missouri Medical School, and co-Vice Chair of the United States Preventive Services Task Force states, “Prostatectomy is the most common treatment for prostate cancer in the United States today. Certainly, one estimate puts about 1 in 250 men dying from complications of the surgery. And unfortunately, that’s surgery that didn’t need to happen for a significant number of men.”
The hormone-blocking capabilities of this drug can reduce prostate enlargement and can play a part in an effective preventative treatment plan in some cases, but only in low level prostate cancers which most likely would not have ever been life-threatening. Dr LeFevre summed up Finasteride treatment, stating, “I think that…after they’ve already decided that they want to be screened with PSA…they could make a reasonable decision to try to minimize the harms of that screening by taking Finasteride to lower the chance that they’re going to be diagnosed with the cancer and suffer from the treatment of that cancer and, in many circumstances, a cancer that would not have hurt them.”
Each case is different so it is always important to consult with trusted health professionals before deciding on any screening or treatment method. For more information about the results of the study, click this link for the National Cancer Institute.
References:
http://news.yahoo.com/drug-safely-cuts-prostate-cancer-risk-study-finds-211902083.html
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=212055233
http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/qa/2008/PCPTQandA
