As a "watchful waiting" guy whose regimen includes taking Proscar
(finesteride), I was interested in the report in Science Daily about the
apparent positive effect of taking finesteride among men not yet diagnosed
with prostate cancer.

See
http://www.fightprostatecancer.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=9303&JServSess
ionIdr007=cuxkkg5l23.app5a
or http://tinyurl.com/6s7hm8.

Researchers took a second look at a seven-year study of 18,800 men who
received either finesteride or a placebo. In that study, the drug reduced
the risk of prostate cancer by 25%. But initially the data suggested that
finesteride apparently increased the risk that any PCa detected was of
higher risk.

The re-look determined that, because finesteride physically shrinks the
prostate, detection of cancer is more likely -- each biopsy needle took a
larger portion of the prostate gland, and thus was more likely to include
any cancer that did exist. So the shrinkage of the gland caused by the drug
simply made it more likely that any cancer present would be more likely to
be discovered.

The report suggests that taking Proscar or finesteride could reduce the risk
of getting prostate cancer by 25%. Not a bad "side effect" for a drug widely
prescribed as a treatment to prevent hair loss!

The latest study does not include any information about whether taking
finesteride is of any benefit for men who have already been diagnosed with
PCa. My oncologist, who specializes in prostate cancer, believes that
Proscar is beneficial for men with low-PSA, low-Gleason PCa. The theory is
that shrinking the prostate gland also reduces the amount of cancerous
tissue. This is not a mainstream belief.

Alex