Enlarged prostate may be linked to prostate cancer risk

Men who buy Flomax to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, are generally considered not to be at risk for prostate cancer. While any age-related disturbance in prostate health may seem like cause for cancer concern, some studies have shown that there is little correlation between BPH and cancer.

However, a new investigation out of Copenhagen University showed there actually is a strong link between the two conditions, and men who buy Flomax for BPH may benefit from testing to check for cancer.

After tracking the medical records of more than 3 million Danish men for up to 27 years, the researchers found that there is actually a two- to three-fold increase in cancer risk among men with BPH. Furthermore, those with an enlarged prostate were up to 8 times more likely to die from prostate cancer.

The researchers cautioned that other factors may have been involved in the association and the findings should not be used to say that BPH causes prostate cancer. Still, discovery of an association between the two is novel and gives men something to think about when they are considering whether or not to treat their BPH symptoms.