Study Results Present Paradigm Shift; REDUCE Trial Shows New Hope For The Risk Reduction Of Prostate Cancer

Main Category: Prostate / Prostate Cancer
Also Included In: Urology / Nephrology;  Men's health;  Clinical Trials / Drug Trials
Article Date: 30 Apr 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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The recent announcement of the REDUCE trial results at the American Urological Association annual meeting in Chicago brings optimism to the prostate cancer community as dutasteride (Avodart), a drug used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia, has shown to lower by 23 percent the risk of prostate cancer in men with an increased risk of the disease.

Men's Health Network looks forward to this becoming an additional tool in the fight against prostate cancer.

The REDUCE trial is a placebo-controlled study that evaluates whether dutasteride decreases the risk of biopsy-detectable prostate cancer.

As this disease continues to strike one in six American men, with African American men having an incidence rate up to 60% higher than white men, it is important that patients and physicians engage in a meaningful conversation about prostate cancer, an individual's risk of getting the disease, and the value of early detection and prevention.

Scott Williams, Vice President, Men's Health Network commented, "We continually stress the importance for men to receive a baseline Prostate Specific Antigen or PSA and physical exam of the prostate at age 40 and to engage in a continual dialogue with their physician about their individual risk and need for annual prostate exams. It could mean the difference between living with the disease or dying from the disease."

PSA is currently the most effective tool physicians and patients have to detect a disease that kills an estimated 28,000 men a year in the US.

In addition to the approximately 200,000 men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, we must remember that the disease can have a devastating effect on entire families and communities. Spouses, significant others, and children are often emotionally, financially, and physically strained and the diagnosis reaches beyond the family to impact friendships, employers, and churches.

"It is also important to note that families can impact the prevention and early detection of prostate cancer," said Theresa Morrow of Women Against Prostate Cancer. "Just a little encouragement from a spouse or family member can get a man to the doctor for prostate screening."

The REDUCE trial is the first step in a paradigm shift in the way prostate cancer is viewed, changing the conversation to focus on the value of prevention and early detection of this deadly disease.

Source: Men's Health Network

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