Results of a four-year study show that men who took dutasteride (Avodart), a drug commonly prescribed for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), were less likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. However, men taking dutasteride who did develop prostate cancer were more likely to have more deadly tumors—those with a high Gleason score—than men who took a placebo. The study appears in The New England Journal of Medicine (April 2010).
All of the 6,729 men enrolled in the study were at high risk for prostate cancer but believed to be disease-free when the study began. Prostate biopsies were done at two and four years. Although 25 percent of men who took placebo developed prostate cancer compared with 20 percent of those who took Avodart, investigators are unsure whether dutasteride helped prevent the development of cancer or whether it suppressed PSA levels. Men who are taking Avodart and who undergo PSA screening should inform their healthcare provider they are taking the drug and about the results of this study.
See also:
GSK withdraws from seeking approval for dusateride (Avodart) for prostate cancer treatment
Source: Andriole GL et al. Effect of dutasteride on the risk of prostate cancer. N Engl J Med 2010 Apr 1; 362(13): 1192-202
