-December 11, 2006
The widely used hair-growth drug Propecia can alter the results of a common prostate cancer-screening test and potentially hide the presence of the disease, according to a study published in the journal Lancet Oncology .
The active ingredient of Propecia is a drug known as finasteride, which was originally developed to treat enlarged prostates. For several years, doctors have known that the drug can skew readings of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests.
PSA Tests
Men generally start receiving regular PSA tests once they reach their 40s. The test is administered to reveal levels of a specific protein produced by the prostate gland. Levels of the protein are normally low. The presence of prostate cancer, however, typically increases PSA levels.
According to the recent study, finasteride can artificially lower PSA levels, making it more difficult for physicians to accurately interpret PSA test results.
The impact of finasteride on PSA levels is significant. This needs to be realized by all internists, family-care doctors, dermatologists anybody who writes prescriptions for male-pattern hair loss, said Dr. Claus Roehrborn of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
The Study
Researchers studied the effect of the drug on PSA levels in men taking Propecia. The study involved 355 men between the ages of 40 and 60 who were given either Propecia or a placebo.
After 48 weeks, men aged 40 to 49 who were taking Propecia experienced a 40 percent decrease in PSA levels. Similarly, men between the ages of 50 and 60 who were given Propecia showed a 50 percent drop in levels of PSA.
PSA levels in men who received a placebo increased on average 13 percent.
It is important for physicians to know that many young men take (finasteride) and that their PSA is lowered artificially. Doctors need to adjust the PSA interpretation by multiplying it times two for these men, said Dr. Roehrborn.
Propecia gained approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the late 1990s for the treatment of male-pattern baldness. Since that time it has been used by as many as one million American men.
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