Finasteride: To Take or Not to Take

May 2010

Ronald Piana

TLDR Finasteride may help prevent prostate cancer, but more research is needed.

The study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology supported the preventative benefits of finasteride in reducing prostate cancer incidence by up to 25%, but highlighted the complexity of deciding whether to prescribe it due to potential side effects like sexual dysfunction and a lack of awareness among primary care physicians. The study involved 9,058 men over 7 years, with 1,957 diagnosed with prostate cancer. It found that treating all men or those with PSA > 1.3 or > 2 ng/mL could optimize cancer prevention. However, the decision to use finasteride remains subjective, weighing the prevention benefits against potential risks and side effects. The study concluded that clinicians should recommend finasteride to all men to reduce biopsy-detectable prostate cancer risk, or to a high-risk subgroup if preventing all cancers is deemed unnecessary.

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1 citations , January 2014 in “ScholarWorks - University of Montana (University of Montana)”

Finasteride reduces low-grade prostate cancer but may not be beneficial overall.