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Recently, the New York Times and other media outlets reported that the drug finasteride (Proscar and generics) prevents prostate cancer. Because patients might inquire about use of finasteride for that purpose, clinicians should be aware of the research that prompted media attention.
In 2003, results of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) were published (JW Jul 18 2003). In that study, 18,000 men with normal rectal examinations and prostate-specific antigen levels ≤3.0 ng/mL were randomized to finasteride or placebo. The 7-year overall incidence of prostate cancer was lower with finasteride than with placebo (18% vs. 24%), but an unexplained small excess of high-grade cancers (determined by prostate biopsies) was observed in the fina…