TLDR Dutasteride effectively treats benign prostatic hyperplasia but isn't approved for preventing prostate cancer.
Dutasteride was found to be an effective, safe, and well-tolerated treatment for symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), either as monotherapy or in combination with an α-blocker. It improved symptoms, reduced the risk of acute urinary retention, and decreased the need for BPH-related surgery. A new prostate-specific antigen baseline should be established after 6 months of therapy for clinical decision making. However, the relationship between dutasteride and high-grade prostate cancer remained unclear, and it was not approved for prostate cancer chemoprevention.
147 citations,
June 2011 in “New England journal of medicine/The New England journal of medicine” 5α-reductase inhibitors may prevent prostate cancer but could also raise the risk of more severe cancers.
58 citations,
March 2006 in “Current topics in medicinal chemistry” Dutasteride effectively treats benign prostatic hyperplasia and may reduce prostate cancer risk.
235 citations,
September 2004 in “The Journal of urology/The journal of urology” Drugs that block DHT production can effectively treat enlarged prostate and improve urinary issues with some sexual side effects.
1707 citations,
December 2003 in “The New England Journal of Medicine” Combination therapy of doxazosin and finasteride safely and effectively reduces benign prostatic hyperplasia progression risk.
1054 citations,
February 1998 in “The New England Journal of Medicine” Finasteride reduces urinary issues and surgery need in men with enlarged prostates by over 50%.
June 2023 in “Clinica Chimica Acta” Finasteride and dutasteride effectively reduce DHT in hair, which may help evaluate their treatment success for hair loss.
January 2018 in “Surgical and Cosmetic Dermatology” 5-alpha reductase inhibitors like finasteride and dutasteride are effective for treating enlarged prostate and male pattern hair loss.
August 2016 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology”
