Drug for enlarged prostate may delay cancer
Men who have difficulty urinating because of an enlarged prostate can buy Canadian Flomax or other medications to make flow easier.
Men who have difficulty urinating because of an enlarged prostate can buy Canadian Flomax or other medications to make flow easier. Another drug that may help is dutasteride, known by the trade name Avodart. One group of researchers from University Health Network discovered that dutasteride may also delay the progression of prostate cancer.
The scientists conducted an experiment on 302 men, between 48 and 82 years of age, who were diagnosed with low-risk localized prostate cancer. They were divided into two groups: one took daily doses of dutasteride for three years while the other received placebos. The researchers performed biopsies at 1.5 years and three years after the start of the trial.
Results showed that disease progression occurred in 38 percent of subjects on the drug. By comparison, 48 percent of those on placebos experienced advanced cancer. Cancer detection rates for the two groups were 23 and 36 percent, respectively, as published in The Lancet.
"This is very good news for men with low-risk disease because aggressive treatment can have a major impact on their quality of life, with risks of impotence and incontinence," said lead researcher Neil Fleshner.
About 5 percent of subjects on dutasteride experienced sexual side effects, which are reversible upon stopping the regimen, the scientists said.
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