Propecia Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Propecia, including details on baldness, hair loss, side-effects, results.

A potential paradox in prostate adenocarcinoma progression: Oestrogen as the initiating driver.

Singh PB, Matanhelia SS, Martin FL

Department of Biological Sciences, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK; Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Fulwood, Preston, UK.

One in 10 men in the developed world will present with prostate cancer (CaP), and in an ageing population developing strategies for its chemoprevention or treatment is of significance. For decades, androgen ablation has remained the frontline treatment for CaP that is no longer organ-confined and thus deemed surgically inoperable. Orchidectomy or drug-induced reduction of serum testosterone levels with the consequent removal of growth-promoting effects in the prostate is the driving rationale for this regimen. However, resistance often develops within a few months to years and androgen-insensitive tumours develop. In recent years, there has been an increasing focus on chemoprevention with agents such as finasteride being employed to reduce the risk of developing CaP. Significantly, such chemoprevention strategies are also based on 5alpha-reductase inhibition thus reducing intraprostatic dihydrotestosterone levels. Although there may be an overall reduction in CaP incidence in cohorts using such chemoprevention, in a subset of users who do develop this pathology there results a more aggressive, higher-grade disease. There have also been suggestions regarding the protective role of androgens against high-grade CaP. This leads to the intriguing notion that 17beta-oestradiol (E(2)) may be an initiating driver of CaP; in fact, in old studies in which CaP was induced in rodents, E(2) often accelerated the effect of the carcinogen. Might certain chemoprevention strategies or androgen ablation result in a systemic feedback loop in hormone synthesis or metabolism? If so, elevated serum E(2) levels could result in its increased conversion to genotoxic catechol oestrogens in target tissues such as the prostate. Paradoxically, if E(2) were to be an initiating factor in CaP, anti-oestrogens might be an overlooked treatment or chemoprevention strategy.

Published 29 April 2008 in Eur J Cancer, 44(7): 928-36.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

Articles on Propecia published 21 April 2008:

Five-alpha-reductase Inhibitors for prostate cancer prevention.   Cochrane Database Syst Rev.

BACKGROUND: Five-alpha-reductase inhibitors (5ARI) are frequently used to treat bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia and male androgenic alopecia. They have potential as chemopreventive agents. OBJECTIVES: We sought to estimate the effectiveness and harms of 5ARI in preventing prostate cancer. SEARCH STRATEGY: MEDLINE, PreMEDLINE, and the Cochrane Collaboration Library were searched through April 2007 to identify randomized trials. SELECTION ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

The Effect of 5alpha-Reductase Inhibition With Dutasteride and Finasteride on Bone Mineral Density, Serum Lipoproteins, Hemoglobin, Prostate Specific Antigen and Sexual Function in Healthy Young Men.   J Urol.

PURPOSE: Dutasteride and finasteride are 5alpha-reductase inhibitors that dramatically decrease serum levels of dihydrotestosterone. Because androgens affect bone, lipids, hematopoiesis, prostate and sexual function, we determined the impact of 5alpha-reductase inhibitors on these end points. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blinded, placebo controlled trial of 99 men 18 to 55 years old randomly assigned to receive 0.5 mg dutasteride (33), 5 mg finasteride (34) or ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Propecia published 16 April 2008:

A systematic review of commonly used medical treatments for hirsutism in women.   Clin Endocrinol (Oxf), 68(5): 800-5.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of various drug treatments in common use for hirsutism in women. DESIGN: A systematic review of published randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We included RCTs that tested commonly prescribed pharmaceutical treatments for hirsutism and the most common outcome measure, a decrease in Ferriman-Gallwey (F-G) score for hirsutism after 6 months of treatment. We excluded trials using unconventional treatments, alternative treatment outcomes, and trials referring to ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Propecia published 14 April 2008:

Value of hormonal levels in patients with male androgenetic alopecia treated with finasteride: better response in patients under 26 years old.   Br J Dermatol, 158(5): 1121-4.

Background Finasteride is a 5alpha-reductase inhibitor that has proved to be an effective treatment for men with androgenetic alopecia. Objectives To investigate the hormonal influence of finasteride 1 mg daily on hormonal levels and hair growth in men of different ages and with different degrees of alopecia according to the Hamilton-Norwood scale. Methods Two hundred and seventy men aged 14-58 years with male androgenetic alopecia III-VI Hamilton-Norwood score (II-III Ebling score) were ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Propecia published 8 April 2008:

Antiandrogens for the treatment of hirsutism: a systematic review and metaanalyses of randomized controlled trials.   J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 93(4): 1153-60.

Context: The relative efficacy of antiandrogens for the treatment of hirsutism remains unclear. Objective: We performed a systematic review and metaanalyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effect of antiandrogens on hirsutism. Data Sources: We used librarian-designed search strategies for MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL (up to May 2006), review of reference lists, and contact with hirsutism experts to identify eligible RCTs. Study Selection: Eligible studies were ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Investigation of the anticonvulsive effect of acute immobilization stress in anxious Balb/cByJ mice using GABA(A)-related mechanistic probes.   Psychopharmacology (Berl), 197(4): 523-534.

RATIONALE: A disordered regulation of neuroactive steroids release in response to acute stress could induce GABAergic dysfunctions underlying anxiety disorders. OBJECTIVES: First, we conducted studies indicating that a short immobilization stress in anxious Balb/cByJ mice produced an anticonvulsive effect. Second, the effects of different positive allosteric modulators (etifoxine, progesterone, clonazepam, and allopregnanolone) of GABA(A) receptors were compared in a mouse model mimicking the ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Prostate cancer update: 2007.   Curr Opin Oncol, 20(3): 294-9.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The present review highlights the year's most important developments in the risk assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of prostate cancer. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent research has helped define the prognostic importance of incorporating tertiary Gleason 5 pattern into the Gleason sum as well as interpretation of prostate-specific antigen levels when patients are being treated with low doses of finasteride. More data have emerged on the benefits of active treatment in elderly men ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Propecia published 27 March 2008:

Role of hormonal and other factors in human prostate cancer.   J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev, 11(3): 242-59.

American men have a lifetime risk of about 18% for prostate cancer diagnosis. Large international variations in prostate cancer risks and increased risks among migrants from low- to high-risk countries indicate important roles for environmental factors. Major known risk factors include age, family history, and country/ethnicity. Type 2 diabetes appears to reduce risk, while high birth weight and adult height are linked to increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer. Limited evidence supports ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

© 2004-2008 Propecia Research Today. All Rights Reserved.