LOCAL HOSPITALS PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL PROSTATE CANCER TRIALS

Cape Girardeau's two hospitals are participating in a research project designed to test whether medication can reduce prostate cancer rates.

Researchers at 222 sites across the U.S. are testing a drug called finasteride to see if it will prevent prostate cancer. Approximately 18,000 men 55 and older will be recruited to be part of the study.

The study is being coordinated by the Southwest Oncology Group and is sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, which is providing approximately $60 million to conduct the study.

"We are embarking on a very important prevention effort," said NCI Director Samuel Broder, M.D., "In 1993 there will be about 165,000 new cases of prostate cancer and about 35,000 deaths. Prevention of cancer is our highest goal and the need for effective prevention strategies is clear."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved finasteride in 1992 for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland. Because BPH and prostate cancer are influenced by similar hormonal factors, researchers believe that finasteride may also prevent cancer.

More than a half-million men in 25 countries are currently taking finasteride for BPH, but the drug has never before been tested for cancer prevention.

The 18,000 men in the study will be randomly divided into two groups. Half will take one tablet of finasteride a day for seven years, and half will take a placebo, an inactive pill that looks like finasteride. The two groups will then be compared to determine if their prostate cancer rates differ.

Neither the participants nor the study physicians will know which men are taking finasteride and which ones are getting the placebo.

It's estimated that a third of all men over age 50 have early, undiagnosed prostate cancer. Most of these cancers are destined to remain harmless, but some will progress to clinically significant diseases.

Any man age 55 or older who is in good health may be eligible to participate in the study.

To find out if he is eligible, a man must go to a study site -- either Southeast Missouri Hospital or St. Francis Medical Center locally -- to have a digital rectal exam and a blood test.

Prostate cancer among African-American men is a particular concern to the National Cancer Institute. The death rate from the disease among African-American men is twice as high as the rate among white men. Medical authorities believe the higher mortality rate among black men may be partly due to the fact that blacks tend to be diagnosed with prostate cancer at later stages than whites.

Because prostate cancer is a serious concern for African-Americans, researchers are stressing the importance of obtaining a representative sample of the entire U.S. male population.

For more information or to apply for the study, call the Regional Cancer Center at Southeast Missouri Hospital at 651-5550 or 1-800-455-INFO, or the Cancercare Program at St. Francis Medical Center at 339-6886 or 1-800-FOR-SFMC.