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Prostate cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the prostate.
The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system. The prostate is just below the bladder (the organ that collects and empties urine) and in front of the rectum (the lower part of the intestine). It is about the size of a walnut and surrounds part of the urethra (the tube that empties urine from the bladder). The prostate gland produces fluid that makes up part of the semen.
As men age, the prostate may get bigger. A bigger prostate may block the flow of urine from the bladder and cause problems with sexual function. This condition is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). BPH is not cancer, but surgery may be needed to correct it. The symptoms of BPH or of other problems in the prostate may be like symptoms of prostate cancer.
Normal prostate and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). A normal prostate does not block the flow of urine from the bladder. An enlarged prostate presses on the bladder and urethra and blocks the flow of urine.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men in the United States.
Prostate cancer is most common in older men. In the U.S., about one out of five men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die of it.
Avoiding risk factors and increasing protective factors may help prevent cancer.
Avoiding cancer risk factors such as smoking, being overweight, and lack of exercise may help prevent certain cancers. Increasing protective factors such as quitting smoking, eating a healthy diet, and exercising may also help prevent some cancers. Talk to your doctor or other health care professional about how you might lower your risk of cancer.
The following risk factors may increase the risk of prostate cancer:
Age
Prostate cancer is rare in men younger than 50 years of age. The chance of developing prostate cancer increases as men get older.
Family history of prostate cancer
A man whose father, brother, or son has had prostate cancer has a higher-than-average risk of prostate cancer.
Race
African-American men are more likely than white men to develop prostate cancer and die from it.
Hormones
The prostate needs male hormones to work the way it should. The main male sex hormone is testosterone. Testosterone helps the body develop and maintain male sex characteristics.
Testosterone is changed into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by an enzyme in the body. DHT is important for normal prostate growth but can also cause the prostate to get bigger and may play a part in the development of prostate cancer.
Folic acid
A 10-year study showed that the risk of prostate cancer was increased in men who took supplements of folic acid (a nutrient in the vitamin B complex).
Dairy and calcium
A diet high in dairy foods and calcium may cause a small increase in the risk of prostate cancer.
The following protective factors may decrease the risk of prostate cancer:
Folate
A 10-year study showed that prostate cancer risk was lowered in men who had enough folate in their diets.
Finasteride
The Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) studied whether the drugfinasteride can prevent prostate cancer in healthy men 55 years of age and older. Finasteride is a drug that blocks the enzyme that changes testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT may play a part in the development of prostate cancer.
The prevention study showed there were fewer prostate cancers in the group of men who took finasteride compared to the group that did not take it. However, the men in the finasteride group who did have prostate cancer had more aggressivetumors. The number of deaths from prostate cancer was the same in both groups.
The following have been proven not to affect the risk of prostate cancer, or their effects on prostate cancer risk are not known:
Selenium and vitamin E
The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) studied whether taking vitamin E and selenium (a mineral) will prevent prostate cancer. The selenium and vitamin E were taken separately or together by healthy men 55 years of age and older (50 years of age and older for African-American men). The study showed that selenium and vitamin E did not decrease the risk of prostate cancer.
Diet
It is not known if decreasing fat or increasing fruits and vegetables in the diet helps decrease the risk of prostate cancer or death from prostate cancer.
Regular use of multivitamins has not been proven to increase the risk of early or localized prostate cancer.
Lycopene
Some studies have shown that a diet high in lycopene may be linked to a decreased risk of prostate cancer, but other studies have not. It has not been proven that taking lycopene supplements decreases the risk of prostate cancer.
Cancer prevention clinical trials are used to study ways to prevent cancer.
Cancer prevention clinical trials are used to study ways to lower the risk of developing certain types of cancer. Some cancer prevention trials are conducted with healthy people who have not had cancer but who have an increased risk for cancer. Other prevention trials are conducted with people who have had cancer and are trying to prevent another cancer of the same type or to lower their chance of developing a new type of cancer. Other trials are done with healthy volunteers who are not known to have any risk factors for cancer.
The purpose of some cancer prevention clinical trials is to find out whether actions people take can prevent cancer. These may include eating fruits and vegetables, exercising, quitting smoking, or taking certain medicines, vitamins, minerals, or food supplements.
New ways to prevent prostate cancer are being studied in clinical trials.
For years the concern for finding a solution to cancer is showing that very little is done in relation to conventional medicine, has increased spending on cancer research in developed countries. However, very little is done to use natural medicine, one that is started is that for centuries.
For centuries, Japanese and Chinese literature have highlighted to Ganoderma lucidum for its invigorating effects of health, especially with regard to increasing longevity, cancer treatment, resistance and recovery from illness. Himalayan Guides have used to combat disease caused by high altitudes. Mayan Indians traditionally used to combat a variety of communicable enfermedadades. Reishi, Ganoderma lucidum as it is called, has become especially popular in recent years among high risk groups, those infected with HIV (Stamets, 1993). However, there are studies and research on some fruits, herbs that are achieving notoriety and a lot of hope among scientists in the fight against this disease that affects a large percentage of the population.
Ganoderma have isolated a complex group of polysaccharides that are reported as stimulating the immune system, increasing the production of monocytes, macrophages and cytokines. One theory is that these polysaccharides stimulate the production of cells, "T" helper, which attack infected cells (Stamets, 1993).
Addiction to narcotic depresses the immune system functions. It has been shown that the polysaccharide-peptide from Ganoderma lucidum can reset the immune system depressed by morphine use and can be potentially beneficial in the treatment of cancer. Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides are chemopreventive, inhibit the formation of 8-hidroxideoxiguanosina representing oxidative DNA damage. Radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and repetitive use of morphine for pain remedy, although indispensable in the treatment of cancer can suppress the immune system functions. Stress and aging can also cause deterioration of this function (Liu, 1999 a).
A previous injection of an antioxidant Ganoderma, restored nearly 100% all biochemical parameters disturbed by the use of chemotherapy with adriamycin or cisplatin nephrotoxicity by inducing oxidative stress. Induced cardiotoxicity in rats has been reversed with Ganoderma extract at doses of 125, 250 and 500 mg / kg / day for 2 weeks. It has also demonstrated the reversal of immune function by Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides, when this was worse with mitomycin, 5-FU, cytarabine, stress and aging (Liu, 1999 a).
Ganoderma lucidum can cure cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, liver degeneration, blood disorders (Stamets, 1993). Alcoholic extracts of Ganoderma lucidum induces the rest of cell growth and apoptosis selectively on tumor cells, demonstrated in cases of human breast cancer. It has also been reported that may inhibit cell growth by preventing the transition from G1 to S phase in HeLa cells. Alcoholic extracts of Ganoderma lucidum can induce apoptosis directly in cells of human breast cancer not via the immune system.
The polysaccharides of Ganoderma lucidum aqueous extract have anti-tumor activity mediated by cytokines released from macrophages and activated T cells, especially tumor necrosis factor a (TNF a) and interferon g (IFN g) (Hongbo et al., 2002). The high molecular weight polysaccharides increased levels of IL 1b, IL-2, IL 6, preventive antiviral activity, and hypoglycemic.
