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PSA test has higher accuracy for patients taking finasteride
August 16, 2006Finasteride increases prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing's ability to detect prostate cancer, a study in the August 16 Journal of the National Cancer Institute reports.
Finasteride is a drug prescribed for men whose prostates have become enlarged. The drug decreases prostate swelling and helps men with urinary problems. However, an increased number of high-grade tumors in men taking finasteride in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) has some physicians worried about the effect of the drug.
Ian M. Thompson, M.D., of the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, and colleagues examined the PSA test's ability to detect prostate cancer in the PCPT in men taking finasteride or a placebo. The group studied the PSA test's sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy for both groups.
The authors found that finasteride changed the diagnostic characteristics of the PSA test so that it detected prostate cancer with higher sensitivity and accuracy in men in the finasteride group than men in the placebo group. They suggest that the increased detection of high-grade prostate cancers in the finasteride arm of the PCPT may be related to the drug's ability to improve the PSA test's performance and not to it's induction of high-grade disease.
The authors write, "This bias would be expected to contribute to greater detection of all grades of prostate cancer with finasteride."
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
The authors found that finasteride changed the diagnostic characteristics of the PSA test so that it detected prostate cancer with higher sensitivity and accuracy in men in the finasteride group than men in the placebo group. They suggest that the increased detection of high-grade prostate cancers in the finasteride arm of the PCPT may be related to the drug's ability to improve the PSA test's performance and not to it's induction of high-grade disease.
The authors write, "This bias would be expected to contribute to greater detection of all grades of prostate cancer with finasteride."
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
Finasteride News and Current Finasteride Events RSSNew data show benefit of finasteride in preventing prostate cancer
A comprehensive re-evaluation of the largest prostate cancer prevention study ever completed produced new findings suggesting that men and their doctors should consider a more aggressive approach that includes finasteride to prevent the development of prostate cancer.
Pros, cons of drug proven to prevent prostate cancer should be considered, researchers recommend
Findings by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers encourage men to weigh both the potential benefits and side effects of the drug finasteride before taking it to prevent prostate cancer.
Shrinkage of prostate led to overestimation of cancer risk in trial
Reanalysis of data from the first long-term randomized trial of a chemopreventive agent for prostate cancer shows that the excess prevalence of high-grade prostate cancer in the drug-treated group may be attributable to shrinkage of the prostate at the time of biopsy.
Generic prostate drug helps find high-risk cancers early
Men now have another good reason to consider taking finasteride, a well-known generic drug that shrinks an enlarged prostate and reduces the risk of getting prostate cancer by 25 percent.
Prostate specific antigen: A review of PSA use in screening for prostate cancer
Screening for prostate cancer using prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing continues to be problematic. Even though it is unproven whether population-wide screening with PSA can reduce death, illness or disability from prostate cancer, testing has become common in North America.
Worried about prostate cancer? Tomato-broccoli combo shown to be effective
A new University of Illinois study shows that tomatoes and broccoli—two vegetables known for their cancer-fighting qualities—are better at shrinking prostate tumors when both are part of the daily diet than when they're eaten alone.
Medication plus oral contraceptive may improve female pattern hair loss
Finasteride, a medication approved to treat hair loss in men, may also improve the condition in women when combined with oral contraceptives
Toward the future of cancer prevention
Can most types of cancers be prevented? It's a question that has emerged in the past 20 years, given advances in screening and early diagnosis, rapid developments in genetics and molecular biology, and progress in the treatment of early disease and in next-generation targeted therapies.
Does direct to consumer drug advertising medicalise normal human conditions?
Does direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs, currently allowed only in the United States and New Zealand, medicalise normal human conditions? A debate in this week's BMJ puts the case for and against. Direct to consumer advertising encourages healthy people to believe they need medical attention, writes Barbara Mintzes at the University of British Columbia. Relatively healthy people are targeted because of the need for adequate returns on costly advertising campaigns. Advertising campaigns can lead to shifts in the pattern of use of healthcare services. In 1998, during a campaign for finasteride (Propecia), visits to US doctors for baldness increased by 79% compared with 1997 l
Action needed to stop "disease mongering"
A lot of money can be made from telling healthy people they’re sick despite clear conflicts of interest. Pharmaceutical companies sponsor disease definitions and promote them to prescribers and consumers. In this week’s BMJ researchers give examples of “disease mongering” and suggest how to prevent the growth of this practice.
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