The role of 5α-reductase inhibitors (5-ARI) in prostate cancer chemoprevention remains a controversy, as cancer prevention trials with 5-ARIs have shown a decreased incidence of low-grade prostate cancer but a potential increased risk in high-grade disease. Recent studies have shed light on the long-term safety of 5-ARIs in terms of influencing prostate cancer risk.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$29.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Huggins, C. & Hodges, C. V. The effect of castration, of estrogen, and of androgen injection on serum phosphatases in metastatic carcinoma of the prostate. Cancer Res. 1, 293–297 (1941).
Thompson, I. M. et al. The influence of finasteride on the development of prostate cancer. N. Engl. J. Med. 349, 215–224 (2003).
Andriole, G. L. et al. Effect of dutasteride on the risk of prostate cancer. N. Engl. J. Med. 362, 1192–1202 (2010).
Theoret, M. R. et al. The risks and benefits of 5α-reductase inhibitors for prostate-cancer prevention. N. Engl. J. Med. 365, 97–99 (2011).
Unger, J. M. et al. Using Medicare claims to examine long-term prostate cancer risk of finasteride in the prostate cancer prevention trial. J. Natl Cancer Inst. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djy035 (2018).
Wallerstedt, A. et al. Risk of prostate cancer in men treated With 5α-reductase inhibitors — a large population-based prospective study. J. Natl Cancer Inst. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djy036 (2018).
Redman, M. W. et al. Finasteride does not increase the risk of high-grade prostate cancer: a bias-adjusted modeling approach. Cancer Prev. Res. 1, 174–181 (2008).
Thompson, I. M. Jr. et al. Long-term survival of participants in the prostate cancer prevention trial. N. Engl. J. Med. 369, 603–610 (2013).
Azoulay, L., Eberg, M., Benayoun, S. & Pollak, M. 5α-reductase inhibitors and the risk of cancer-related mortality in men with prostate cancer. JAMA Oncol. 1, 314–320 (2015).
Wallner, L. P. et al. 5-alpha reductase inhibitors and the risk of prostate cancer mortality in men treated for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Mayo Clin. Proc. 91, 1717–1726 (2016).
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organization imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Both authors researched data for the article, made substantial contributions to discussion of content, and wrote, reviewed, and edited the manuscript before submission.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chau, C.H., Figg, W.D. Revisiting 5α-reductase inhibitors and the risk of prostate cancer. Nat Rev Urol 15, 400–401 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-018-0018-9
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-018-0018-9