In the News – Finasteride and Breast Cancer

Snippet from the article:

New warnings will be added to the packaging of Finasteride after five men in Britain taking the drug developed breast cancer.

An analysis by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency found a total of 53 men worldwide on the drug had developed breast cancer.

The report from the MHRA said: “Cases of male breast cancer have been reported for finasteride, and the review suggested that an increased risk of male breast cancer associated with finasteride use cannot be excluded.

“Patients using finasteride products should be advised to promptly report to their doctor any changes in their breast tissue such as lumps, pain or nipple discharge because these may be signs of a serious condition, such as breast cancer.

Read the full article at Telegraph UK

Keep in mind that this is for men taking the 5mg dose of finasteride for use in treating the prostate. The number of male breast cancer patients is so low that making statistical sense out of the data is relatively impossible. Warning labels after 53 men out of over a million men that take the medication developed breast cancer? It seems to me that this will create unnecessary fear by putting a warning right on the packaging, as I don’t believe there are any other warnings listed on the packaging itself (at least not on the US version that I’ve seen). Obviously, 53 out of a MILLION is not something I’d worry about. I have a greater risk of being hit by a car.