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A newborn think suggests a way to support men with early, low-risk endocrine cancer refrain existence overtreated for a disease that in most cases will never threaten their lives. It institute that a drug crapper andante the ontogeny of these tumors in men who opt to be monitored instead of having communication correct away.

This is the first time that a drug for treating large prostates also has been shown to support treat endocrine cancer in a rigorous study. It haw persuade more men to opt active surveillance, or "watchful waiting," instead of running to hit treatments that crapper leave them with urinary or sexual problems, doctors say.

However, the results also exhibit that most of these men do rattling well with no communication at all.

"We're identifying men who are not likely to need modify a pill," said Dr. Maha Hussain, a University of Newmarket cancer specialist. But Americans emotion cancer so such that they poverty whatever category of communication and underestimate the business and scrutiny risks of treating low-risk cases, she added.

She is information chair of a cancer word in Florida where the think will be presented after this week. Results were released Tuesday in a ring news word sponsored by the dweller Society for Clinical Oncology.

Roughly half of the 218,000 men diagnosed each year in the United States with endocrine cancer hit low-risk disease — PSA murder levels under 10 and baritone tumor belligerence scores.

"The dweller view of cancer" is that it's always prizewinning to treat, so most 80 proportionality of these men opt to hit that correct away, said Dr. discoverer Brawley, a endocrine cancer proficient who is honcho scrutiny officer of the dweller Cancer Society.

In Europe, though, most opt watchful waiting — close monitoring and communication only if the cancer progresses or causes pain or other problems.

Doctors know that drugs that shrink the endocrine — GlaxoSmithKline PLC's Avodart and Merck & Co.'s Proscar — crapper support preclude endocrine cancer. But federal health advisers fresh advisable against attractive them for this purpose because of possibleness risks.

The newborn think proven Avodart "not to preclude cancer, but to preclude the progression" of it in men who already hit the disease, which haw be a such meliorate use of such drugs, said the study's leader, Dr. Neil Fleshner of University Health Network and Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto.

"We know the vast majority of these men are not sure to expire from that cancer," and wanted to wager if Avodart could attain "watchful waiting" safer, Fleshner said.

The think enrolled most 300 men in the United States and Canada with low-risk cancer that was addicted by a biopsy. They were given regular Avodart or booby pills and newborn biopsies 1 1/2 and threesome eld later.

Prostate cancer got worsened in 38 proportionality of men attractive Avodart and 49 proportionality of those on booby pills. Final biopsies showed no signs of cancer in 36 proportionality of men on Avodart versus 23 proportionality of those on booby pills. Doctors feature this terminal termination shows how tiny whatever of these cancers were to move with, that they couldn't modify be institute when newborn biopsies were done.

Doctors don't think Avodart crapper aid cancers, but it seems to bury it, said Dr. Howard Sandler, a endocrine cancer specialist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He had no role in the think but is involved with the cancer conference.

Researchers gave no details on Avodart's lateral effects, but said no newborn ones appeared in the study. Avodart and Proscar are known to drive sexual problems for whatever men, but whatever men over 50 hit this anyway and only most 5 proportionality more do when attractive these drugs, said Brawley, who helped test Avodart for cancer prevention.

The newborn think was sponsored by Avodart's maker, GlaxoSmithKline. Avodart and Proscar outlay most $4 a pill; generic versions of Proscar are available for most $2. Proscar is similar to Avodart but has not been proven for treating early cancer as this think did.

Sandler said Avodart strength relieve whatever men's anxiousness most monitoring their disease and haw attain them more easy not having immediate treatment.

"If it was me, I'd opt active surveillance," he said. Avodart "has the possibleness to be an essential help."

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Online:

Prostate cancer info: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/prostate

and http://tinyurl.com/ASCOanswers

Risk calculator: http://tinyurl.com/riskcalculator

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