Prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting men. A disease of aging, the National Institutes of Health reports prostate cancer is rare in men younger than 40. Many factors affect treatment recommendations, including the location of cancer cells and the age of the man. Alternative treatments may complement medical treatment; men should talk to their doctor before considering any type of therapy.
Considerations
Men may be advised by physicians to delay cancer treatments, based on the results of frequent check-ups. This is because most prostate cancers grow so slowly that an elderly man could complete his lifetime before the cancer spreads or grows large enough to cause symptoms. Regular examinations and lab tests are a way to ensure that watchful waiting continues to be an appropriate strategy.
When microscopic examination of the prostate cells show abnormalities that have a high probability of becoming malignant, the conditions is called Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia (PIN) or dysplasia, and graded according to severity. Maryland Urologists Stephan Werner and Jack Francis, founders of the Mid-Atlantic Urology Associates, assert that treatment for dysplasia is aimed at reducing the incidence of prostate cancer with medication, radiation or biological agents such a vitamins D, E, lycopene, selenium and soy.
Choices
Alternative treatments for prostate cancer fall into two general categories, dietary and non-dietary. Dietary treatments include specific foods such as raw pumpkin seeds or soy, supplements such as zinc or eliminating foods thought to be harmful, such as dairy products and red meat.
Non-dietary treatments such as energy work may help. This may include treatment by an acupuncturist and learning relaxation and visualization techniques at home. Art therapy or meditation groups may help men process fears, leading to emotional and spiritual well-being.
Popularity of Alternative Treatments
Researchers from the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Pennsylvania studied the popularity of complementary alternative medicine among men with prostate cancer. Their findings were published in the July 2003 issue of The Journal of Urology. Subjects in the study had cancer limited to the the prostate gland and some chose watchful waiting. After learning their diagnosis, 19 percent of the men initiated the use of CAM. The most popular choices were soy, vitamin E, selenium and saw palmetto.
In this study the number of men using complementary alternative medicine for prostate cancer was low, though two-thirds of the patients admitted they used CAM prior to being diagnosed. Half of the patients did not disclose alternative medicine use to their doctors, prompting lead researcher Michael Diefenbach, PhD, to recommend that physicians probe for alternative treatment information during office visits.
Product Safety
Even when there is evidence of efficacy, the purity of supplements may come into question. PC-SPES was a patented blend of eight herbs, seven of which have a long history of use in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Studies of this treatment were promising, but researchers found hormone and blood thinning drugs in some batches imported from China, resulting in a ban by the Food and Drug Administration. The manufacturer is now out of business. Laboratory research on the herbs apart from contaminants is continuing.
Warning
Signs of prostate cancer may be absent or are similar to other conditions. Healthy lifestyle changes and nutritional supplements should not be a substitute for regular medical check-ups and cancer screenings.
References
- Medline Plus: Prostate Cancer
- ACS: Alternative Therapies Popular Among Prostate Cancer Patients
- "J. Urol.", Clinical, demographic and psychosocial correlates, Diefenbach MA, et.al., Jul 2003, 170(1)
- Stephan Werner, MD, Jack Francis, MD, W-F Urology Associates, LLc, Greenbelt, MD
- National Cancer Institute: PC-SPES
