Drug may slow growth of early prostate cancer (AP)

Drug may slow growth of early prostate cancer
(AP): "AP - A new study suggests a way to help men with early, low-risk prostate cancer avoid being overtreated for a disease that in most cases will never threaten their lives. It found that a drug can slow the growth of these tumors in men who opt to be monitored instead of having treatment right away."

This is the first time that a drug for treating enlarged prostates also has been shown to help treat prostate cancer in a rigorous study. It may persuade more men to choose active surveillance, or "watchful waiting," instead of rushing to have treatments that can leave them with urinary or sexual problems, doctors say.

However, the results also show that most of these men do very well with no treatment at all.

Doctors know that drugs that shrink the prostate — GlaxoSmithKline PLC's Avodart and Merck & Co.'s Proscar — can help prevent prostate cancer. But federal health advisers recently recommended against taking them for this purpose because of potential risks.

The new study tested Avodart "not to prevent cancer, but to prevent the progression" of it in men who already have the disease, which may be a much better use of such drugs, said the study's leader, Dr. Neil Fleshner

Doctors don't think Avodart can cure cancers, but it seems to suppress it, said Dr. Howard Sandler, a prostate cancer specialist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He had no role in the study but is involved with the cancer conference.

Sandler said Avodart might relieve some men's anxiety about monitoring their disease and may make them more comfortable not having immediate treatment.

Early balding related to prostate cancer risk

Early balding linked to risk of prostate cancer: "LONDON (Reuters) - A study showing that men who start to go bald at 20 may be more likely to develop prostate cancer in later life suggests they might benefit from early screening or preventative therapy, scientists said on Tuesday.

If the men only started going bald when they were 30 or 40, there was no difference in their risk of developing prostate cancer compared to the healthy group.

At present there is no hard evidence to show any benefit from screening the general population for prostate cancer. We need a way of identifying those men who are at high risk.

Further work should be done, both at the molecular level and with larger groups of men, to find the missing link between androgens, early balding and prostate cancer.

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