Cancer, Prostate

Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men in the United States. Nearly 317,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. The prostate is a male sex gland about the size of a walnut located below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It surrounds the upper part of the urethra, the tube that empties urine from the bladder. The prostate produces a thick fluid that forms part of semen.

Signs and Symptoms of Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is accompanied by the following signs and symptoms.
- A need to urinate frequently, especially at night
- Difficulty starting urination or holding back urine
- Inability to urinate
- Weak or interrupted flow of urine
- Painful or burning urination
- Painful ejaculation
- Blood in urine or semen
- Frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs

What Causes Prostate Cancer?

Although the exact cause of prostate cancer is unknown, environmental and genetic factors and diet are suspected. Workers exposed to cadmium and those in tire and rubber manufacturing or sheet metal, as well as farmers, have high death rates from prostate cancer.

Who’s Most At Risk for Prostate Cancer?

People with the following conditions or characteristics are at risk for developing prostate cancer.
- Family history (first- or second-degree relative)
- Diet high in saturated fat
- Occupational exposures
- Age over 55 years
- African-American descent

What to Expect at Your Health Provider’s Office

Men with a family history of prostate cancer and African-American men should undergo a digital rectal exam (DRE) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) measurement every year beginning at age 40. All other men should have yearly DREs and PSA measurements beginning at age 50.

If you are experiencing symptoms associated with prostate cancer, you should see your health care provider. Do not wait until you feel pain. The exams and tests may include the following.
- A DRE, in which the provider feels the prostate through the rectum to check for hard or lumpy areas
- Blood tests, including a PSA and prostate acid phosphatase (PAP). The level of PSA in the blood may rise in men who have prostate cancer, and the level of PAP rises above normal in many prostate cancer patients, especially if the cancer has spread beyond the prostate
- Urine test, to check the urine for blood or infection

Additional tests may include ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) scan, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

If prostate cancer appears to be present, a biopsy will be performed. The provider will remove a small amount of prostate tissue, usually with a needle, and a pathologist will examine the tissue under a microscope to check for cancer cells.

Prostate Cancer Treatment Options

A treatment plan depends on the tumor stage (extent of disease) and grade (how fast the cells are likely to grow or spread to other organs), along with pretreatment PSA levels and the wishes of the individual. Surgery, radiation therapy, and treatment with medication are possible options. But, not all men require treatment. The individual and his provider should consider the benefits and possible side effects of each option, especially the effects on sexual activity and other quality-of-life concerns.

Drug Therapies for Prostate Cancer

Your provider may prescribe the following medications.
- Hormone therapy, to prevent the prostate cancer cells from getting the male hormones they need to grow
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy

Surgical and Other Procedures for Prostate Cancer

Surgery is a common treatment for patients in the early stages of prostate cancer. With radical prostatectomy, the entire prostate is removed, either through an incision in the abdomen or through an incision between the scrotum and the anus. Nearby lymph nodes are sometimes also removed through an incision in the abdomen. The pathologist will check the lymph nodes to see if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

Complementary and Alternative Therapies

A comprehensive treatment plan for prostate cancer may include a range of complementary and alternative therapies.

Nutrition
- Eat only hormone-free, organic, unprocessed foods.
- Eat small, frequent meals for easy digestion and to keep your blood sugar levels steady.
- Increase dietary fiber, legumes, soy, garlic and onions, sea vegetables, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and apricots.
- Avoid alcohol (especially beer), spicy foods, sugar, saturated fats (animal products), caffeine, nitrates, and additives.

Potentially beneficial nutrient supplements include the following.
- Vitamin C (1,000 mg three to four times per day), vitamin E (400 IU two to three times per day), coenzyme Q10 (100 mg three times per day), and selenium (200 mcg twice per day)
- Carotenoids, especially lycopene (100,000 IU two to three times per day)
- Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and evening primrose oil (EPO) (1,500 mg three times per day)
- Zinc (30 mg per day)
- Glutathione (500 mg twice per day)
- Bromelain (250 to 500 mg between meals)

Herbal Remedies

Herbal remedies may offer relief from symptoms. Herbs are generally available as dried extracts (pills, capsules, or tablets), teas, or tinctures (alcohol extraction, unless otherwise noted). Dose for teas is 1 heaping tsp. per cup of water steeped for 10 minutes (roots need 20 minutes).
- Turmeric (Curcuma longa): 500 mg four times a day with bromelain
- Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens): 300 mg standardized extract three times a day
- Hoxsey Formula (available commercially): 60 drops two to three times a day for six months or longer

Combine the following herbs in equal parts. Take 30 to 60 drops tincture three times a day.
- Mistletoe (Viscum album)
- Gromwell (Lithospermum ruderale)
- Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum)
- Chaste tree berry (Vitex agnus castus)
- Nettles (Urtica dioica)
- Poke root (Phytolacca americana)

Homeopathy for Prostate Cancer

Homeopathy may aid in reducing side effects of conventional therapies, reducing symptoms, and improving overall sense of well-being.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture may help stimulate immune function, aid detoxification from chemotherapy, and strengthen a person’s overall constitution.

Prognosis/Possible Complications for Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is curable if the cancer is confined to the prostate. Locally advanced prostate cancer and cancer that has spread to other organs are often not curable, but survival for five or more years can often be expected.

Following Up

Prostate cancer patients should be examined regularly to be sure that the disease has not returned or progressed. Follow-up tests may include X rays, scans, and laboratory tests, including the PSA blood test.

Supporting Research for Prostate Cancer

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Brinker F. The Hoxsey treatment: cancer quackery or effective physiological adjuvant? J Naturopathic Med. 1996; 6(1): 9-23.

Burton Goldberg Group. Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide. Tiburon, CA: Future Medicine Publishing, Inc.; 1997: 738-742.

Kruzel T. Naturopathic Specific Condition Review: Prostate Cancer. Protocol J of Botan Med. 1998; 2(3): 176-183.

Gronberg H, Isaacs SD, Smith JR, et al. Characteristics of prostate cancer in families potentially linked to the hereditary prostate cancer 1 (HPC1 locus). JAMA. 1997; 278(15): 1251-1255.

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