EXPERIMENTAL AND ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES.

Hundreds of experimental and alternative therapies for prostate cancer are being studied around the world. A few of these potential treatments are summarized here:

Trans Perineal Microwave Ablation of the Prostate (TAP)
TAP uses microwave energy to heat the prostate and kill cancer cells. It has been used in patients whose cancer has not spread outside the prostate and who did not benefit from radiation therapy. It is an outpatient procedure with few side ffects. Early results suggest this treatment may offer a cure. TAP was developed at the University of Toronto.

Gene Therapy
Genes that have been specifically created to treat disease are inserted into cells. The Toronto General Hospital is testing one type of gene therapy to improve a man’s odds after prostatectomy. Sometimes prostate cancer returns even after the prostate has been removed because small numbers of cancer cells have already spread to other parts of the body before surgery. Researchers are testing a gene therapy which is used a month before surgery and encourages the body to kill cancer cells that have spread beyond the prostate. This research is still in early stages but the results so far are hopeful.

Cryosurgery
Cryosurgery (or cryotherapy) is the use of extreme cold to destroy cancer cells. Traditionally cryosurgery has been used to treat external tumours (ex. tumours on skin) but advances in technology are allowing researchers to test it on internal tumours.
Thin metal probes are inserted through the skin of the perineum into the prostate. Liquid nitrogen, given through the probes, forms an ice ball that freezes the prostate cancer cells. When they thaw, they burst. Early research results are hopeful, but there is not enough proof yet to draw conclusions about its long term effectiveness.

Clinical Trials
For more information on clinical trials in prostate cancer, please visit www.clinicaltrials.org, which provides a comprehensive listing of clinical trials underway in Canada and the U.S.

GREEN TEA.

Green Tea Researchers have known for years that the incidence of prostate cancer is considerably lower in Asian countries. One possible explanation advanced by scientists is the high consumption of plant foods among Asian populations. Another is the growing number of laboratory studies indicating that green tea ( the most popular tea in China, Japan and other Asian countries) has anti-tumor effects.

Eat Less and Exercise Vigorously to Prevent Cancer.

New guidelines from the American Cancer Society (ACS) emphasize exercise - real exercise, not just strolling from the car to the mall - as key to cancer prevention. The old recommendation was a cumulative total of 30 minutes a day five days a week of any type of everyday physical activity. Now the ACS is asking us to get serious and put in at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity in addition to everyday activities and suggests that more (45 to 60 minutes) is better. Moderate activities recommended are walking, dancing, cycling, skating, golfing and mowing the lawn. Vigorous activity means jogging or running, weight training, aerobics, swimming, soccer or racquetball. Losing weight by exercising more and eating less can prevent breast cancer in postmenopausal women. And an ACS spokesperson said it might also cut down on cancers of the colon, endometrium, esophagus and kidney. Other malignancies including cancers of the pancreas, gallbladder, thyroid, ovary, cervix, multiple myeloma, Hodgkin disease and aggressive prostate cancer may also be linked to excess weight. The new ACS recommendations were published in the September/October 2006 issue of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

....from Dr. Weil website

FLAXSEED
(comments by Dr. Weil)

Freshly ground flaxseeds are an excellent source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a type of omega-3 fatty acid. The human body needs long-chain omega-3s (EPA and DHA), which are found in salmon and other oily, cold water fish. It can make them from ALA, but the conversion is not efficient and is inhibited further if the diet is rich in the omega-6 fatty acids, which are found in most vegetable oils and processed food.

As you know, omega-3s are associated with reduced risks of heart attacks and stroke and also may decrease the risk of macular degeneration (a leading cause of age-related blindness) as well as breast, prostate and colon cancers. If you don't like fish (and don't eat the recommended three servings of cold water fish per week), ground flaxseeds can help fill the gap. I recommend buying whole flaxseeds, storing them in the refrigerator and grinding a half-cup at a time in a coffee grinder. You can then sprinkle a tablespoon or two over salads, cereals, or potatoes or add them to baked goods such as breads and muffins.

In addition to providing some omega-3 fatty acids, flaxseeds are an excellent source of fiber, which helps prevent constipation, and of lignans, compounds with beneficial estrogen-like effects that offer protection against breast and prostate cancer.

I often recommend supplementing the diet with fish oil as an omega-3 source, but I'm less enthusiastic about flaxseed oil. One tablespoon daily will give you seven to eight grams of ALA, but little of that will be converted to EPA and DHA. Flaxseed oil spoils easily so be sure to keep it refrigerated (it should be refrigerated when you buy it). If you notice that it tastes like oil paint, throw it away. Rancidity is oxidation, and oxidized fats are toxic.

Although flaxseed oil seems to be safe for women, I still haven't seen any data showing that it is safe for men. In October 2004, Nutrition Journal published an analysis of nutrition and cancer. One meta-analysis included in that publication reviewed nine studies that revealed an association between flaxseed oil intake or high blood levels of alpha-linolenic acid and increased risk of prostate cancer. The author speculated that the lignans in flaxseed are a major component of its anti-cancer effects and that the lack of lignans in most brands of flaxseed oil may explain why flaxseed oil is not beneficial. Until we know more about the risk flaxseed oil appears to present, I recommend that men avoid it, or at least stick to brands that put the lignans back in. Flaxseeds, however, present no danger to men.

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...from Dr. Weil website.