A new study involving 11,000 men found that men who drank heavily (four or more drinks per day, at least five days per week) were twice as likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer as men who were not heavy drinkers.
Additionally, the study found that men who were heavy drinkers did not respond well to the hormonal therapy drug finasteride, while men who drank in moderation or not at all showed good response to the medication.
This study may have found another modifiable factor, in addition to known modifiable risk factors such as obesity and high intake of animal fats, that could increase prostate cancer risk.
The study was conducted by scientists from the University of California - San Francisco and is set to be published in the journal Cancer.
Dr. Schmitz,
Prostate Cancer runs very heavy in my husband’s family including a nephew who had his prostate removed at the age of 32 but he was not a drinker. My father-in-law had his prostate removed for cancer in 1998. He took Finasteride all 20-years and his PSA was stable at .02. He was a very heavy drinker all his life. He passed away in 2008 from an unrelated and unexpected issue. My husband had his prostate removed in 2007 and just finished radiation because his PSA continued to rise after the surgery. He is not a drinker either. His Radiation Oncologist is leaning towards Hormone Therapy if his PSA does not come down in the next few months. Dr. Schmitz, what do you recommend for my husband whose cancer came back?
Thank you for your time.
Jean