Prostate Cancer Chemoprevention: A Current Review
Correll Abbey BS, Barqawi Al · Journal of Cancer Science & Therapy · 2012
Purpose: To provide an updated review on prostate cancer chemoprevention agents, including 5-ARI's and pomegranate, which will help guide the ensuing direction of the management of prostate cancer. Materials and methods:We searched MEDLINE using search criteria 'prostate cancer, chemoprevention' and reviewed all ideal trials and scholarly articles in the past 10 years.Results: Many studies were considered, but PCPT and the REDUCE trial were the only studies that tested 5-ARI's on the period prevalence of prostate cancer.Additionally, follow-up studies of 5-ARI trials and studies on the use of pomegranate that met ideal design criteria were utilized for review.Conclusions: PCPT and REDUCE trials reveal that 5-ARI's have the ability to reduce low grade prostate cancer, but also show a slight increase high grade prostate cancer diagnosis.Follow-up studies suggest that these findings may be due to detection bias, but official guidelines recommend against 5-ARI use due to the potential risk.As an alternative to 5-ARI's, studies on pomegranate have shown promise but more studies and phase III clinical trial results are needed for future direction of pomegranate use.Potential of chemoprevention agents is based on exploration of approaches, agents, and validity of design.Efficacy of chemoprevention agents enables: prevention of over-diagnosis, decreased use of overly aggressive treatment, and enhanced quality of life by reducing suffering, mortality, and economic burdens.