Can This Drug Reduce Hair Loss AND Prevent Cancer?

Prostate cancer is widespread in the United States, second only to skin cancer in prevalence among men. finasteride

Addressing the condition is often costly, and there’s no known cure.

According to a long-term study, researchers found that finasteride, a generic hormone-blocking drug typically used to treat an enlarged prostate or hair loss, can reduce the risk of prostate cancer by 25 percent.

Years of Data

The study includes data from men who enrolled between 1993 and 1997 in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT). The SWOG Cancer Research Network performed the research.

Nearly 19,000 men enlisted in the study, making this one of the most extensive prostate cancer clinical trials ever performed.

While the 25 percent decline in risk of developing prostate cancer may seem significant, it doesn’t qualify as statistically significant.

The real value of this information is eliminating old apprehensions about the effects of finasteride on prostate cancer.

An earlier SWOG study in 2003 reported that while finasteride decreased the risk of prostate cancer, it raised the number of high-grade prostate cancers. This finding compelled the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to post a notice on the finasteride label.

The long-term study determined that there wasn’t a statistically significant increased risk associated with finasteride. While it may have raised the number of high-grade prostate cancers, researchers said it made them easier to find.

Why Is Treatment So Difficult?

When someone is diagnosed with prostate cancer, there’s only so much that physicians can do to manage things.

Surgery ranges anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000, while radiation can cost up to $100,000. A cancer diagnosis can push up the price of healthcare.

While finasteride can’t do much for those who already have prostate cancer, it would be a preventive option for middle-aged or older men who want to lessen their risk.

The drug can cause side effects.

Five to six percent of men can experience breast enlargement, tenderness, or sexual dysfunction — but these side effects go away if the patient quits taking the medication. Many men will be treated with radical prostatectomies, which can induce incontinence or impotence, or radiation therapy, leading to difficulties emptying their bladder and impotence. If they get radiation, they often get concurrent hormone therapy that can lead to weight gain, diabetes, cognitive and sexual dysfunction.

Why More Men Aren’t Using It

Finasteride is affordable and convenient. It also helps lower the chance of developing prostate cancer.

So why aren’t more men taking it?

For starters, the results from this research are new. There’s also the issue of the FDA’s caution on finasteride, a consequence of the 2003 research.

Bureaucracy and regulatory bodies tend to move slowly. As a generic drug, finasteride doesn’t have the heft of any big pharmaceutical companies who might want to nudge the FDA on their ruling.

If the warning label is not rescinded, the best option is probably off-label prescriptions for doctors and patients who want to use finasteride as a preventive measure.

Conclusion

Researchers say a new study has alleviated concerns about finasteride and prostate cancer.

The drug is cheap, plentiful, and reduces the risk of prostate cancer, researchers say.

There’s still an FDA warning on the finasteride label, but patients can talk to their doctors about taking the drug. If you have questions about changes in your medication, always consult a physician first. Do not make sudden changes to your prescriptions without first talking to a doctor.

By Ty McDuffey | Published March 29, 2022