Are We Treating Prostate Cancer Too Agressively?
Written By: Jan McBarron MD, ND (Health Headline News on Duke and the Doctor Radio Show)
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Published - Oct 21, 2010
Prostate cancer is the third most common cause of death from cancer in men of all ages and is the most common cause of death from cancer in men over 75 years old. There are however some natural remedies, which I will often recommend that will go a long way to help reduce your risk and perhaps even prevent prostate cancer.
Most men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer appear to undergo aggressive therapy even if they have a low prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and a low-risk case of the disease, according to this alarming report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
More than 90% of all prostate cancer cases are diagnosed before the disease has spread, and the five-year rate of survival for these patients with localized disease is almost 100%. However, despite this, men with low-grade prostate cancers and localized tumors are often given extremely aggressive therapies.
The controversy swirls around what should be considered the appropriate level to treat a PSA. Currently, it is believed that a PSA of over four is indicative of cancer and should be followed with biopsies and treatment when necessary. Given that biopsies are not foolproof, the concern is that men are being treated for prostate cancer when they do not have it. Furthermore, the extremely aggressive treatment they are given is leaving them infertile, impotent and with many other long-lasting complications. For example, complications from radiation can even include rectal burning and a lifetime of uncontrollable diarrhea.
Currently, there is no definitive answer on how to treat prostate cancer particularly with regard to PSA level.
It is generally recognized that keeping the PSA level below four is important. Moreover, as with all cancers: prevention is better than cure.