Drug Treatment Reduces Enlargement.

• Position: Prostate glands - Brief Article

Results of a four-year study involving 3,040 men have shown that those taking the drug finasteride (Proscar) for enlarged prostate glands reduced their risk of needing surgery or experiencing acute urinary retention by more than half. Participants either received finasteride or a placebo. Those taking finasteride had a 55% reduced risk of needing prostate surgery and 57% less of developing acute urinary retention, a painful blockage of the urinary tract requiring catheterization.

"This clinical trial demonstrates that finasteride clearly alters the progression of [benign prostatic hyperplasia]," notes John McConnell, chairman of urology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. "The most significant finding of this study is the dramatic decrease in the number of men requiring prostate surgery or developing urinary retention. Another important outcome of this research is that the beneficial effects of this drug continued over the...