Prostate cancer and androgenic alopecia: The role of finasteride as a dual agent

• Main Author: Jabir Jassam
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2021-01-01
• Series: Hamdan Medical Journal
• Subjects: alopecia; finasteride; prostate cancer
• Online Access: http://www.hamdanjournal.org/article.asp?issn=2227-2437;year=2021;volume=14;issue=1;spage=9;epage=12;aulast=Jassam

Background: Prostate cancer (PC) is recognised as the leading cancer diagnosis in Canadian men and the third-highest cause of cancer mortality. Despite its prevalence increasing with age, in Canada, funding for PC research is much lower when compared to other forms of cancer. Androgenic alopecia (AA) is a medical condition known to affect more than a third of all men and women. Studies show that AA is a medical condition with significant physical and psychological harms to the patient but one that can be treated effectively by a general practitioner. Objective: The objective is to determine the possibility of using finasteride to concurrently treat AA and prevent PC for men with more than one PC risk factor, one of which being AA. Methods: Numerous databases were searched, including OVID, Cochrane, Medline and PubMed. Additional internet searches were done using keywords such as dihydrotestosterone (DHT), AA, male pattern baldness, prostate-specific antigen, PC and finasteride, including a Medical Subject Headings search combining these words. Results and Conclusion: As a risk indicator for a PC diagnosis, early recognition of AA is important. Considering AA in conjunction with other risk factors for PC provides a more accurate risk assessment for patients. Finasteride has been shown to be effective in treating AA. By reducing DHT, a determining factor of both AA and PC development, finasteride has been demonstrated to reduce the risk of PC development by 25%. Finasteride therapy is an effective, low-risk, AA treatment option with the benefit of protecting potentially more susceptible men from PC. Given its excellent safety profile, as demonstrated in long-term studies of benign prostatic hyperplasia treatment, finasteride should be offered routinely to men with AA.