prostate-report.org

Study shows physicians reluctant to use finasteride for prostate cancer

According to a study published in the September issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research., physicians have not increased the use of finasteride, despite the dramatic results of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT), which showed a significant reduction in prostate cancer among those taking it.

The first results of the PCPT were published in 2003 in The New England Journal of Medicine and were widely reported. The randomized controlled trial consisted of 18,000 men and showed a 25 percent reduced risk of prostate cancer.

 In opinion of Linda Kinsinger chief consultant for preventive medicine at the Veterans Health Administration National Center, the use of finasteride for prostate cancer prevention does not appear to be widely endorsed. She said the concept of chemoprevention is a difficult one for patients and physicians.