Trial will examine drug's effect in delaying prostate cancer surgery

GlaxoSmithKline has initiated REDEEM, a multicenter, North American clinical trial designed to determine whether the 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor dutasteride (Avodart) can delay or prevent prostate surgery or radiation, shrink prostate cancer tumors, and lessen severity of tumors in men with low-grade prostate cancer.

“The REDEEM study may potentially change the way we treat prostate cancer by offering a potential new treatment option for men with prostate cancer who may be looking for an alternative to watchful waiting, surgery, or radiation,” said lead investigator Neil Fleshner, MD, of the University Health Network and the University of Toronto. “While there always will be some patients who will need radical treatment, the findings from the REDEEM study could help improve outcomes from watchful waiting. Results from the study could present a new way to avoid the adverse effects of traditional prostate cancer treatment while minimizing traditional anxieties associated with watchful waiting.”

REDEEM (Reduction with Dutasteride of clinical progression Events in Expectant Management) is being conducted at 40 sites in the United States and 20 sites in Canada, involving more than 300 men with low-grade prostate cancer. Final results are expected in 2009.