Alternative Prostate Treatments

Prostate cancer is the number-one cancer diagnosed in males. While standard treatments include surgery and radiation, there are a number of alternative treatments for the disease. Because all currently accepted treatments pose risk to the gland's surrounding vital structures and nearby tissue, the search for effective but kinder treatment options continues.

Dietary Therapies

• Although further studies are needed, lycopene, an antioxidant found in tomatoes, has been suggested to decrease the risk of prostate cancer. In countries like Japan, where green tea is a dietary staple, prostate cancer cases are dramatically low. Studies indicate that the tea may kill off cancer cells. Soy, another staple of the Asian diet, has been given credence in several laboratory studies both for prostate-cancer prevention and cancer treatment.

Herbal Therapies

• While herbal remedies should never be started before a consultation with a doctor, several herbs have been widely touted as preventive therapies. Saw palmetto and garlic, as well as St. John's Wort, are unproven remedies for the prevention of prostate cancer.

  PC-SPES, an herbal preparation composed of chrysanthemum, isatis, licorice, saw palmetto and four other herbs, has been used for localized and advanced prostate cancer. Although costly, and with some safety issues involved, the preparation has been shown to decrease both testosterone and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels.

Cryotherapy

• In theory, cryotherapy freezes the prostate gland to destroy the cancer cells. Used primarily as a backup plan after radiation has failed, cryotherapy is associated with both a high incidence of urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. While studies indicate that the procedure can effectively destroy cancers in the liver or kidneys, cryotherapy has had minimal success in treating prostate cancer.

Thermal-Heat Therapy

• High-intensity focused ultrasound (HICU) virtually bakes cancer-infected tissue. European studies show that because of its precision, HICU is very effective on small, targeted areas. It's safer than cryotherapy and few serious side effects have been reported.

  Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is another alternative method which attempts to kill cancer cells by delivering heat through needles. Long-term studies are not available.

  Photodynamic light therapy is a new experimental treatment whereby a light source activates a drug which destroys the prostate cancer and its blood supply. Clinical trials have not as yet shown what damage may occur to nearby nerves, sphincters and the rectal wall.

Gene Therapy

• Gene therapy attemps to prevent and treat prostate cancer by the injection of viral genes into the cancer cells. Usually a secondary option, the approach has thus far shown limited success.