Re: AR-5 inhibitors and biopsy

[Guest guest]

I remember asking some of these questions

early in my diagnosis. The doctors wanted to use neo-adjuvant hormone therapy

on me before surgery. I was concerned that it would effect the pathology. My

urologist said it would be they would know how to make allowances for it. That

was about as far as we got.

From: ProstateCancerSupport [mailto:ProstateCancerSupport ] On Behalf Of LYNN

Sent: Monday, July 25, 2011 1:42

PM

To: ProstateCancerSupport

Subject:

AR-5 inhibitors and biopsy

I think I read something that said if you were on

Finisteride/Proscar that this would change how the cells look in a biopsy. Is

that correct?

If that is true, here are my questions: After you are off the drugs for awhile,

do the cells return to looking like " regular " cancer cells at any

point? Or if you have been on one of these drugs, will the cells always look

different? Does it matter how long you were on the drugs? If you were on them

for only about 3 months, would these changes occur? Is there a point to having

a biopsy after taking them or do you just tell the doctor so that they can tell

the pathologist?

Thanks for all of your help.

Lynn

[Guest guest]

I remember asking some of these questions

early in my diagnosis. The doctors wanted to use neo-adjuvant hormone therapy

on me before surgery. I was concerned that it would effect the pathology. My

urologist said it would be they would know how to make allowances for it. That

was about as far as we got.

From: ProstateCancerSupport [mailto:ProstateCancerSupport ] On Behalf Of LYNN

Sent: Monday, July 25, 2011 1:42

PM

To: ProstateCancerSupport

Subject:

AR-5 inhibitors and biopsy

I think I read something that said if you were on

Finisteride/Proscar that this would change how the cells look in a biopsy. Is

that correct?

If that is true, here are my questions: After you are off the drugs for awhile,

do the cells return to looking like " regular " cancer cells at any

point? Or if you have been on one of these drugs, will the cells always look

different? Does it matter how long you were on the drugs? If you were on them

for only about 3 months, would these changes occur? Is there a point to having

a biopsy after taking them or do you just tell the doctor so that they can tell

the pathologist?

Thanks for all of your help.

Lynn

[Guest guest]

It's a complex subject and I haven't tried to fully research it or understand

it, but here is a quotation from the conclusion of a 2004 article by

Bostick from the PCRI website:

" The Gleason grading system for cancer should not be used after finasteride

treatment as it is not validated in this setting and is likely to overestimate

the biologic potential of high-grade cancer observed after therapy.

Chemoprevention trials with agents such as finasteride that alter morphology

should not rely on cancer grading as a secondary endpoint owing to grading

bias. "

http://www.prostate-cancer.org/education/staging/Bostwick_DoesFinasterideAlter.h\

tml

You will probably be able to find further discussion, some of it of more recent

date, about this with a Google or PubMed search. I found hits that appeared to

be relevant using the terms finasteride, gleason grade, and " prostate cancer " .

On PubMed, the right side " Related Citations " may turn up more useful articles.

Clausen

> I think I read something that said if you were on Finisteride/Proscar that

this would change how the cells look in a biopsy. Is that correct?

>

> If that is true, here are my questions: After you are off the drugs for

awhile, do the cells return to looking like " regular " cancer cells at any point?

Or if you have been on one of these drugs, will the cells always look different?

Does it matter how long you were on the drugs? If you were on them for only

about 3 months, would these changes occur? Is there a point to having a biopsy

after taking them or do you just tell the doctor so that they can tell the

pathologist?