Finasteride Is linked to Breast Cancer

[barcafan]

By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor
Published: 6:50PM GMT 03 Dec 2009

New warnings will be added to the packaging of Finasteride after five men in Britain taking the drug developed breast cancer.

An analysis by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency found a total of 53 men worldwide on the drug had developed breast cancer.

The report from the MHRA said: "Cases of male breast cancer have been reported for finasteride, and the review suggested that an increased risk of male breast cancer associated with finasteride use cannot be excluded.

"Patients using finasteride products should be advised to promptly report to their doctor any changes in their breast tissue such as lumps, pain or nipple discharge because these may be signs of a serious condition, such as breast cancer.

"On the basis of the review, it was recommended that a warning on the risk of breast cancer should be included in the product information for all medicines containing finasteride."

The drug is used for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, also known as enlarged prostate, which is not cancerous but does cause symptoms such as difficulty passing urine.

Finasteride is known to cause gynaecomastia in men, the enlargement of male breast tissue, and this is thought to be connected to the reports of breast cancer in men because men who develop the condition are more likely to have their chests checked by doctors.

The condition is found in half of all men aged between 51 and 60 and is more common in older men.

Lord Mandelson received treatment for the condition earlier this year.

It is thought around 100,000 men in England and Wales could be taking finasteride, also known in Britain as Proscar and Propecia.

The drug has been under close review since 1998 works by preventing testosterone from being used by the body and this shrinks the prostate gland.

Less than one per cent of the 45,500 cases of breast cancer diagnosed each year in Britain are in men and the condition is very different in men.

There are around 300 men diagnosed with breast cancer in Britain annually.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healt ... ancer.html


I give it a couple of posts until finfighter chimes in here and says everything causes breast cancer and finasteride is one of the safest drugs on the market.

 

[timbo]

53 men have developed breast cancer worldwide while on finasteride? Do you have any idea how many men are taking finasteride?

 

[barcafan]

Alot of men post about changes to their breasts while on finasteride, a small % may develop cancer.

No biggie though.

Let's not forget this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIDM2N1M ... tube_gdata

PERMANENT ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION NOW OFFICIAL:
In December 2008, the Swedish Medical Products agency concluded a safety investigation of Propecia and advise that use of Propecia may result in persistent sexual side effects. The Agency's updated safety information lists difficulty in obtaining an erection that persists even after discontinuing Propecia as a possible side effect.

Theres a ton of other sh*t that i wont bother copypasting, easy to find if you look.


I'm sure more reports will come out on finasteride; none good.

 

[ineedmyhair]

Almost NW2 here and still thinking if i should start propecia asap since it's good for keeping my hair. I seriously doubt if only 2% of men have side effect when taking that pill. :dunno: But man, Propecia is the only thing that will work efficiently for hair loss, Balding people have no other option but to take propecia. Even people who have done Hair transplant might still have to take propecia to prevent any future loss.

FDA or any researcher should really do some more studying of this drug and what it really can do to our body.

 

[uncomfortable man]

Maybe now there will be some adequate pressure to either improve the drug or develop a superior alternative.

 

[Boondock]

I'm no finasteride fan, but these results are hardly compelling. Five males in the UK out of around 100,000 on finasteride developed breast cancer. Not only is this hardly a startling figure, but there are tons of other variables that need to be taken into account.

 

[Draco88]

^^Still, reading about, it seems that finasteride is developing a somewhat negative reputation and for someone such as myself who is trying to decide whether to start with finasteride..well if there's even the slightest possibility that it's related to breast cancer, or gives me trouble having an erection, then i'd rather stay away form it. Nobody in my family has any hereditary diseases, my grandparents on both side of the family have either lived long lives, or are still well and truly alive. I don't want to screw that up for myself.

 

[barcafan]

Almost NW2 here and still thinking if i should start propecia asap since it's good for keeping my hair. I seriously doubt if only 2% of men have side effect when taking that pill. :dunno: But man, Propecia is the only thing that will work efficiently for hair loss, Balding people have no other option but to take propecia. Even people who have done Hair transplant might still have to take propecia to prevent any future loss.

FDA or any researcher should really do some more studying of this drug and what it really can do to our body.

Using propecia is like filling up a cup in a thunderstorm.

 

[Boondock]

^^Still, reading about, it seems that finasteride is developing a somewhat negative reputation and for someone such as myself who is trying to decide whether to start with finasteride..well if there's even the slightest possibility that it's related to breast cancer, or gives me trouble having an erection, then i'd rather stay away form it. Nobody in my family has any hereditary diseases, my grandparents on both side of the family have either lived long lives, or are still well and truly alive. I don't want to screw that up for myself.

I can sympathize with this, and I do, on balance, consider it to be a risky drug. My own feelings are that it can't be risk free to block a male hormone, and the related hormones that are blocked through knocking out 5ARII (allpregnanlone in particular).

However, my judgement isn't affected by this finding. It's clinically insignificant.

 

[barcafan]

^^Still, reading about, it seems that finasteride is developing a somewhat negative reputation and for someone such as myself who is trying to decide whether to start with finasteride..well if there's even the slightest possibility that it's related to breast cancer, or gives me trouble having an erection, then i'd rather stay away form it. Nobody in my family has any hereditary diseases, my grandparents on both side of the family have either lived long lives, or are still well and truly alive. I don't want to screw that up for myself.

I can sympathize with this, and I do, on balance, consider it to be a risky drug. My own feelings are that it can't be risk free to block a male hormone, and the related hormones that are blocked through knocking out 5ARII (allpregnanlone in particular).

However, my judgement isn't affected by this finding. It's clinically insignificant.

The downstream effects of knocking out 5AR (like you said, allopregnanolone among others) are the real worrisome side effects. Alot of people have this notion that 5AR=DHT. Not true, and even if it was, its not like the only role DHT has in our bodies is attacking our follicles.......

 

[Boondock]

Absolutely, that's essentially my viewpoint in a nutshell. I find that compelling, I just don't find the breast cancer stuff too big a deal.