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CANCER News Alert
Published Online: February 28, 2005
DOI: 10.1002/cncr.20919
Print Issue Date: April 1, 2005

Analysis Shows Drug Could Save Lives from Prostate Cancer

A new analysis shows the drug finasteride will save lives if given to
men to prevent prostate cancer. Published in the April 1, 2005 issue
of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the
new analysis of data from the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT),
says that any possible increase in the incidence of higher-grade
tumors would be more than offset by an overall reduction in the number
of prostate cancer cases in the general population.

The recent results from the PCPT represent a milestone in cancer
research, showing that prostate cancer could be prevented through
chemoprevention. The study found the commonly used drug finasteride
reduced the incidence of prostate cancer by 24.8 percent compared to a
placebo. However, a possible increase in the number of high-grade
tumors in the trial prompted many to question whether any benefits of
the drug would be offset by an increase in mortality related to the
higher-grade tumors. No difference in mortality was seen during the 7
years of PCPT.

To explore the problem, Joseph M. Unger, M.S. and a team of
researchers from the Southwest Oncology Group Statistical Center at
the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA analyzed
Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry data and
applied the results from the PCPT.

The results showed a net reduction in person-years saved over ten
years using finasteride even after taking into account an increase in
high-grade cancers. Using PCPT's 24.8 percent reduction in new cases,
the drug would save 316,760 person-years over ten years. An absolute
increase in 6.9 percent of cases with high-grade disease (the
difference seen in the PCPT) would still mean 262,567 person-years
saved.

Based on this model, the authors conclude, "even if finasteride is
found to potentiate the growth of high-grade tumors, this analysis
shows that the potential detrimental effects of an increased rate of
cases with high grade Gleason score would be substantially outweighed
by a reduction in incidence."
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"Estimated Impact of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial on
Population Mortality"
Joseph M. Unger, Ian M. Thompson, Jr., Michael LeBlanc, John
J. Crowley, Phyllis J. Goodman, Leslie G. Ford, Charles A. Coltman,
Jr.
CANCER
Published Online: February 28, 2005 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.20919)
Print Issue Date: April 1, 2005