Drug could reduce the growth of prostate cancer

A new study suggests an alternative for those who prefer to avoid overtreatment of prostate cancer at low risk , a disease that in most cases will not threaten their lives: a drug that may slow the growth of these tumors in men who prefer to be controlled rather than undergo treatment immediately. This is the first time that a rigorous study finds a remedy to treat enlarged prostate also helps to treat prostate cancer. Could persuade more patients to prefer active surveillance instead of rushing to receive treatment that may provoke urinary or sexual problems, doctors say. However, the results also show that most of these men have very good results without any treatment . "We are identifying the men who probably do not even need a pill," said Dr. Maha Hussain, a specialist from the University of Michigan, but Americans fear cancer so much that they prefer some kind of treatment and underestimate the financial and health risks to treat low-risk cases, he said. The expert runs a cancer conference in Florida where the study will be presented this week. The results were released Tuesday in a telephone briefing sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Approximately half of the 218,000 diagnosed each year with prostate cancer have low-risk variant, with levels of PSA in the blood below 10 and low tumor aggressiveness. "The American Cancer assumption" is that it is always best to treat it, so that 80% of these men choose immediate treatment, said Dr. Otis Brawley, an expert on prostate cancer is medical director of the American Cancer Society. In Europe, on the other hand, most prefer strict surveillance and treatment only if the cancer progresses, if it causes pain or causes other problems.

Doctors know that drugs that reduce the prostate, Avodart GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Merck & Co. Proscar - can help prevent prostate cancer, but the federal advisers recently recommended that they take for this purpose because of potential risks. The new study tested Avodart "not to prevent cancer but the progression "in men who already have the disease, which could result in a much better use of the drug, said study lead author, Dr. Neil Fleshner of the University Health Network and Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto.

"We know that the vast majority of these men are not destined to die of that cancer" and wanted to see if Avodart could make surveillance more secure, he said. The study was conducted in the U.S. and Canada.