A new survey of American Veteran's Administration doctors showed that 64% of urologists and 80% of primary care physicians never prescribed finasteride (or dutasteride) in an attempt to lower the chance of developing prostate cancer. Among primary care physicians, 52% did not know that the drugs could be prescribed for that purpose.
Much debate remains over the use of drugs such as finasteride and dutasteride to reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer in men with elevated chances of the disease.
The debate is centered around whether the potential benefit in lowering the risk of developing prostate cancer in some men outweighs the negative side effects that are often seen.
Results of the physician survey can be found in the September issue of the medical journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention.
