In the December issue of European Urology, Dr. Curtis Nickel and associates report on the evidence of a relationship between prostate inflammation and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men enrolled in the REDUCE trial .

The REDUCE (Reduction by DUtasteride of prostate Cancer Events) trial is a 4-year, phase-III placebo-controlled study that evaluates whether dutasteride (a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor, a drug which inhibits the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT); the latter may cause benign prostatic obstruction) decreases the risk of biopsy detectable prostate cancer.

The trial enrols men with a negative prostate biopsy and follows them for 4 years on either dutasteride or placebo.

Dr Curtis Nickel: “The data from the entrance biopsy have enabled additional investigations to be made, including examination of the relationship between prostate inflammation and LUTS.”

Eligible men were aged 50-75 years, with Prostate Specific Antigen ≥2.5 and ≤10ng/ml (ages 50-60) or ≥3 and ≤10ng/ml (age >60 years) and an IPSS