Prostate drugs raise risk of prostate cancer: FDA

Prostate drugs raise risk of prostate cancer: FDA:

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A class of drugs meant to improve symptoms of an enlarged prostate gland actually increase the chance of getting a more serious form of prostate cancer, health officials said on Thursday.

The drugs in this group include Merck & Co's Proscar and GlaxoSmithKline's Avodar and Jalyn, as well as Merck's Propecia, which is approved to treat male pattern hair loss.

The Food and Drug Administration said it revised the labels on all such drugs, called 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARI), to include the risk after reviewing two large studies.

However, they also said the drugs' benefits outweigh the risks.

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Safe to skip radiation for prostate cancer?

Safe to skip radiation for prostate cancer?

"NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -

A review of recent studies comparing different radiation treatments for prostate cancer reveals no clear picture of what works best for the majority of men with the disease.

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