Hair loss drug may cause prostate cancer to go undetected: NewsTarget.com

Merck's popular hair loss drug Propecia may alter the results of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) prostate cancer screening test, which could prevent detection of the disease, according to a new study appearing in the Dec. 5 online edition of the journal Lancet Oncology.

The active ingredient in Propecia -- finasteride -- was initially developed to treat enlarged prostate by targeting an enzyme that causes the prostate to grow. That formulation of finasteride eventually became Proscar, a drug aimed at lowering rates of prostate cancer. Propecia -- which contains one-fifth the amount of finasteride as Proscar -- was later marketed as a drug to prevent hair loss.

While doctors have known for years that Proscar can falsely lower PSA levels -- an indicator of prostate health -- they were unsure whether or not Propecia caused the same alteration.

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Hair loss drug may cause prostate cancer to go undetected

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