title: 5-α reductase inhibitors and prostate cancer prevention: where do we turn now?
abstract: With the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer so great, an effective chemopreventive agent could have a profound impact on the lives of men. Despite decades of searching for such an agent, physicians still do not have an approved drug to offer their patients. In this article, we outline current strategies for preventing prostate cancer in general, with a focus on the 5-α-reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs) finasteride and dutasteride. We discuss the two landmark randomized, controlled trials of finasteride and dutasteride, highlighting the controversies stemming from the results, and address the issue of 5-ARI use, including reasons why providers may be hesitant to use these agents for chemoprevention. We further discuss the recent US Food and Drug Administration ruling against the proposed new indication for dutasteride and the change to the labeling of finasteride, both of which were intended to permit physicians to use the drugs for chemoprevention. Finally, we discuss future directions for 5-ARI research.
authors.affiliation: Division of urology, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Freedland
mesh_terms: D058891:5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001378:Azasteroids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D018890:Chemoprevention / Q000379:methods*; D017277:Drug Approval; D000068538:Dutasteride; D018120:Finasteride / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration
chemical_list: D058891:5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors; D001378:Azasteroids; D018120:Finasteride; D000068538:Dutasteride