“Male breast cancer has been reported in a small number of patients worldwide taking the prescription drug finasteride for male pattern baldness and enlarged prostate, Health Canada says.
Finasteride is a prescription drug sold in Canada under two brand names: Propecia, a one-milligram dose, is used to treat male-pattern hair loss, while Proscar, a five-milligram pill, is for benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH — a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate. Generic versions of both are also sold.
“Male breast cancer has been reported in a small number of patients worldwide with both the one-milligram and five-milligram formulations of finasteride,” Health Canada said Thursday.
“Most of the reports have been in association with the five-milligram formulation. Based on the currently available evidence, it is not known with certainty whether finasteride can cause breast cancer, nor can this possibility be ruled out at this point in time.”"
