Healthy men who get regular prostate cancer tests may greatly benefit from taking a drug called finasteride, which is more commonly known as the hair-loss drug Propecia, as a viable way to reduce their risk of prostate cancer.
While past studies have shown the medication can reduce the overall risk of the cancer by 25 percent, medical professionals have never recommended the treatment citing certain health risks associated with the prescribed medication.
However, that ideology appears to be softening with the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Urological Association suggesting men aged 50 years and older at least speak to their doctor about the treatment.
The organizations are not sure if the drug would benefit all men nor do they know of the possible side effects the medication may have.
The new guidelines are scheduled to appear in the March issues of the Journal of Clinical Oncology and the Journal of Urology, Efluxmedia.com reports.
More than 186,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, according to the American Cancer Society.
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