Hair-raising drug may prevent cancer

PROSTATE PROBLEMS

Finasteride, a drug that fights baldness and shrinks enlarged prostate glands, may also help prevent prostate cancer, according to a large study of older men. Finasteride lowers levels of the male hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Men with high levels of DHT are at higher risk for developing prostate cancer.

Marketed as Proscar, finasteride treats the benign prostate enlargement common in aging men; a lower-dose version called Propecia treats baldness.

Researchers gave either finasteride or a placebo to more than 18,000 men ages 55 years or older. Subjects had normal digital rectal exam results and a normal prostate-specific antigen level of 3.0 ng/ml or lower. Men who took finasteride daily for 7 years had a nearly 25% lower rate of prostate cancer than men who took a placebo. However, sexual adverse reactions, such as impotence and loss of libido, were more common among men who took finasteride. Also, men who developed prostate cancer while taking finasteride were more likely to have high-grade (aggressive) tumors than men taking a placebo.

Some critics question the usefulness of finasteride as a cancer-prevention treatment, given the potential for adverse effects and the possible link to aggressive tumor growth.

cialis - check it

tramadol - check it

viagra - check it

levitra - check it

phentermine - check it

xenical - check it

prozac - check it

zoloft - check it

fioricet - check it

paxil - check it

propecia - check it