The Preventive and Therapeutic Efficacy of Finasteride and Dutasteride in TRAMP Mice

The study investigated the efficacy of finasteride and dutasteride in preventing prostate cancer in TRAMP mice. Finasteride, which inhibits only 5αR2, was hypothesized to be less effective than dutasteride, which inhibits both 5αR1 and 5αR2. Mice were divided into control and treatment groups, with treatments starting at 6 and 12 weeks of age. Results showed that dutasteride reduced genitourinary tract weights and altered the incidence of prostate lesions, with an increase in low-grade and a decrease in high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN). However, there was an increased incidence of poorly differentiated cancer in the dorsal lobe for pre-dutasteride and both finasteride groups. The findings shared some similarities with previous human trials, suggesting that while dutasteride had some preventive effects, it also had limitations, particularly in the development of high-grade tumors.