DUARTE, Calif. -- Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among men in the United States -- affecting nearly 200,000 men every year. There are several treatment options, but new research shows there may be a way to prevent the disease altogether.

At 70, Speed Klinzing has outlived all his family members.

"My mom died at 56. My dad at 57. My oldest brother at 49. My next oldest brother at 58, and my next one at 67," he said.

Four of them died of cancer. To avoid that same fate, Klinzing is being proactive.

"I figured if something should happen, that the man upstairs says it's time to have cancer, then I want to be some place where I can catch it early," he said.

That place is City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte, Calif., where Klinzing was in a study on prostate cancer prevention. There are several treatments for the disease, but prevention is another story. According to Dr. Timothy Wilson, a urologic oncologist at the center, there are currently no clear-cut options for prevention for prostate cancer.

Wilson hopes the drug finasteride will change that. In smaller doses, it's commonly known as Propecia for baldness. It works by stopping testosterone's conversion to DHT -- a more active form of the hormone.

"We know that prostate cancer is a hormone-dependent cancer. DHT is more active and more potent in prostate cancer development," Wilson said.

A study of more than 20,000 men showed finasteride decreased prostate cancer risk by 25 percent.

"I think it's tremendously significant," Wilson said. "I would think that it should be seriously considered in those men at highest risk."

Klinzing took the drug for seven years, and so far, so good.

"Seventy is not old, and as long as you stay healthy and keep active, that's the whole key," he said. He's hoping that will keep him one step ahead of cancer.

Wilson said no more than 3 percent of the men in the study had side effects, including mild sexual dysfunction. However, he said when the drug was stopped, sexual function was returned to normal.

If you would like more information, please contact:

New Patient Services
City of Hope Cancer Center
(800) 826-4673