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05:19
A New Technique for Treating Low-risk Prostate Cancer—Super Active Surveillance
Published on: November 7, 2025
Prostate cancer prevention: strategies for agent development
Howard L Parnes1, Margaret G House, Joseph A Tangrea
1Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. parnesh@mail.nih.gov
Current Opinion in Oncology
|March 23, 2013
Summary
Clinical trials for prostate cancer chemoprevention show mixed results. While some agents like 5-α-reductase inhibitors demonstrated benefits, others like vitamin E and selenium did not prove effective for cancer prevention.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Preventive Medicine
- Clinical Pharmacology
Background:
- The National Cancer Institute supports research into agents for prostate cancer chemoprevention.
- Chemoprevention aims to delay, prevent, or reverse carcinogenesis to reduce cancer incidence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an update on clinical research within the National Cancer Institute's prostate cancer chemoprevention agent development program.
- To review findings from Phase I/II and Phase III clinical trials evaluating pharmacologic interventions for prostate cancer prevention.
Main Methods:
- Review of numerous clinical trials, including small biomarker-focused studies and large population-based trials with cancer endpoints.
- Analysis of data from Phase III prostate cancer prevention trials investigating specific agents and combinations.
Main Results:
- Two large Phase III trials indicated a significant benefit for 5-α-reductase inhibitors in prostate cancer prevention, but with increased detection of high-grade cancers.
- A separate Phase III trial found no benefit for selenium or vitamin E, with vitamin E alone associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer.
Conclusions:
- Extensive research, including early phase and three definitive Phase III trials, has advanced prostate cancer prevention strategies.
- Despite progress, further research is necessary to fully harness the potential of chemoprevention for prostate cancer.
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