Efficacy of Finasteride in Patients with Bladder Cancer Undergoing Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Therapy

Despite the widespread use of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for the treatment of superficial bladder tumors, recurrence and treatment failure is common among a significant proportion of patients..In this regard the addition of finasteride to BCG treatment may increase the effectiveness of bladder cancer treatment. The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of finasteride in patients with bladder cancer undergoing BCG therapy

In this retrospective cohort study, 70 men with bladder cancer who were treated with BCG alone (control group, n=35) and BCG with finasteride (case group, n=35) in Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Hamadan from 2018 to 2019 were compared in terms of treatment efficacy. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 21) at a 95% confidence interval.

The mean duration of follow-up was 2.29±1.55 years; moreover, , the mean age scores of patients in the case and control groups were reported as 66.00±8.95 and 62.94 ±13.69 years, respectively (P=0.273). The frequency rates of recurrence of bladder cancer in patients receiving BCG with finasteride and BCG alone were obtained at 17.1% and 31.4%, respectively (P=0.163). The mean recurrence times were as 8.50 and 7.27 months in the case and control groups, respectively (P=0.404).

As evidenced by the obtained results in patients with bladder cancer, the addition of
 finasteride tablets to the BCG treatment regimen reduces the frequency and effectiveness of the disease.