Anti-cancer drugs often ignored

NEW YORK, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Drugs proven to deter some cancers are largely being ignored by people who worry about side effects or are unaware of the drugs, U.S. researchers said.

With prostate cancer, for example, the drug finasteride, which costs about $2 a day, could prevent as many as 50,000 cases each year, said Dr. Victor Vogel of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Treatment Center at the University of Texas.

Side effects, including impotence, are mild and temporary, but there appears to be little interest in finasteride, even among men at high risk of prostate cancer, Vogel told The New York Times in a story published Friday.

The same with tamoxifen, an estrogen-blocker. Tamoxifen's side effects include temporary hot flashes and an increased risk of blood clots but it has been shown to cut breast cancer cases in half among women at high risk for the disease, Vogel said.

Tamoxifen has been ignored by many women and doctors, which deters drug companies from developing other anti-cancer drugs, The Times reported.

"A scientific discovery that is very clear cut and that is not implemented by the public is a tragedy," said Dr. Ian Thompson Jr. of the University of Texas Health Science Center.