Medicines to Deter Some Cancers Are Not Taken Options

[hormoneman]

The few drugs proved to deter cancer are widely ignored, researchers say, while ineffective supplements are used

Many Americans do not think twice about taking medicines to prevent heart disease and stroke. But cancer is different. Much of what Americans do in the name of warding off cancer has not been shown to matter, and some things are actually harmful. Yet the few medicines proved to deter cancer are widely ignored.

Take prostate cancer, the second-most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States, surpassed only by easily treated skin cancers. More than 192,000 cases of it will be diagnosed this year, and more than 27,000 men will die from it.

And, it turns out, there is a way to prevent many cases of prostate cancer. A large and rigorous study found that a generic drug, finasteride, costing about $2 a day, could prevent as many as 50,000 cases each year. Another study found that finasteride’s close cousin, dutasteride, about $3.50 a day, has the same effect.

Nevertheless, researchers say, the drugs that work are largely ignored. And supplements that have been shown to be not just ineffective but possibly harmful are taken by men hoping to protect themselves from prostate cancer.

As the nation’s war on cancer continues, with little change in the overall cancer mortality rate, many experts on cancer and public health say more attention should be paid to prevention.

But prevention has proved more difficult than many imagined. It has been devilishly difficult to show conclusively that something simple like eating more fruits and vegetables or exercising regularly helps. And, as the response to the prostate drugs shows, people are not enthusiastic about taking anticancer pills, or are worried about side effects or not really convinced the drugs work. Others are just unaware of them.

And prostate cancer is not unique. Scientists have what they consider definitive evidence that two drugs can cut the risk of breast cancer in half. Women and doctors have pretty much ignored the findings.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/health/r...;pagewanted=all

[makoss]

And supplements that have been shown to be not just ineffective but possibly harmful are taken by men hoping to protect themselves from prostate cancer.



Which supplements is the author referring to? VItamin D? Saw Palmetto? Beta-Sitosterol? Stinging Nettle? Zinc? Harmful? European studies have shown these to be quite effective.

[rwac]

Have you considered that finasteride has potential side effects including ED and Gynecomastia ?

[niner]

Have you considered that finasteride has potential side effects including ED and Gynecomastia ?

I can't believe that they would expect, what, all men over 40, to take finasteride? For a 25% risk reduction? That's insane.

[hormoneman]

Have you considered that finasteride has potential side effects including ED and Gynecomastia ?

I can't believe that they would expect, what, all men over 40, to take finasteride? For a 25% risk reduction? That's insane.

Use of 5
-Reductase Inhibitors for Prostate Cancer
Chemoprevention: American Society of Clinical Oncology/
American Urological Association 2008 Clinical Practice Guideline

Purpose: To develop an evidence-based guideline on the use of 5-
-reductase
inhibitors (5-ARIs) for prostate cancer chemoprevention.

Methods: The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Health Services
Committee (HSC), ASCO Cancer Prevention Committee, and the American Urological
Association Practice Guidelines Committee jointly convened a Panel of
experts, who used the results from a systematic review of the literature to develop
evidence-based recommendations on the use of 5-ARIs for prostate cancer chemoprevention.

Results: The systematic review completed for this guideline identified 15 randomized
clinical trials that met the inclusion criteria, nine of which reported
prostate cancer period prevalence.

Conclusion: Asymptomatic men with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) 3.0
ng/mL who are regularly screened with PSA or are anticipating undergoing
annual PSA screening for early detection of prostate cancer may benefit from a
discussion of both the benefits of 5-ARIs for 7 years for the prevention of prostate
cancer and the potential risks (including the possibility of high-grade prostate
cancer). Men who are taking 5-ARIs for benign conditions such as lower urinary
tract [obstructive] symptoms (LUTS) may benefit from a similar discussion,
understanding that the improvement of LUTS relief should be weighed with the
potential risks of high-grade prostate cancer from 5-ARIs (although the majority
of the Panel members judged the latter risk to be unlikely). A reduction of
approximately 50% in PSA by 12 months is expected in men taking a 5-ARI;
however, because these changes in PSA may vary across men, and within individual
men over time, the Panel cannot recommend a specific cut point to trigger
a biopsy for men taking a 5-ARI. No specific cut point or change in PSA has been
prospectively validated in men taking a 5-ARI.

http://www.auanet.org/content/guidelines-a...ts/pcredinh.pdf

[kismet]

Which supplements is the author referring to? VItamin D? Saw Palmetto? Beta-Sitosterol? Stinging Nettle? Zinc? Harmful? European studies have shown these to be quite effective.

What and where? None of those have been shown to be effective AFAIK. Zinc is not just useless, it's dangerous. Vitamin D has never been tested for prostate cancer prevention. 

[makoss]

Which supplements is the author referring to? VItamin D? Saw Palmetto? Beta-Sitosterol? Stinging Nettle? Zinc? Harmful? European studies have shown these to be quite effective.

What and where? None of those have been shown to be effective AFAIK. Zinc is not just useless, it's dangerous. Vitamin D has never been tested for prostate cancer prevention. 

What and where? OK, I speak for myself here. I'm 53 and was diagnosed with an enlarged prostate when I was 43. I did not opt for the prescription meds at the time and after researching I decided to take the supplements as a course of action. I began taking fish oil (3 grams), vitamin d (2000iu), zinc (30mg), selenium (800 mcg) and beta-sitosterol (350 mg) daily. I returned to the doctor every 6 months and within 3 years, my conditioned improved dramatically. Today my prostate is normal with no signs of enlargement. Co-incidence, who knows? I continue to take these supplement every day. Being Italian, I have eaten a Mediterranean diet my whole life, so a change in diet was not a factor. Also, I think you are underestimating Vitamins D's potential as a cancer fighter.

http://www.nature.com/pcan/journal/v12/n3/...pcan20097a.html


This post has been edited by makoss: Nov 13 2009, 09:49 PM

[doug123]

I saw a presenation on Supplements and Cancer care at The supplements conference in La Jolla. It's attached to this post.

Dr. Gaynor is one of the foremost authorities on Supplements and Cancer Care:



Wait a minute, I will upload it to a public space. Check back.

Okay, I couldn't attach the file since it's more than 2mb. You can download it free here:

http://rapidshare.com/files/306635027/Natu...r_Care.pdf.html

If it gets past 10 downloads, I will have to re-upload it. So PM me if I need to do that.

This post has been edited by ADAM23: Nov 13 2009, 11:20 PM

[kurt9]

The reason why guys do not take finasteride or dutasteride to prevent prostate cancer is because oral consumption of either of these compounds effectively causes chemical castration. If the journalist had done his home work properly before writing the article, he or she would know this. DHT is the hormone that make you feel horny, not Testosterone itself. However, suppression of DHT production is desirable to prevent male pattern baldness. So, I grind up finasteride tablets and add the resulting power into my Rogaine liquid for use as a topical. I still use finasteride because I still have a supply left. Once I run out, I will switch over to the dutasteride, probably early next spring.

[kismet]

Co-incidence, who knows?

You're probably poisoning yourself with that much selenium. The rest is fine, even if it should be useless for prostate cancer prevention...

[makoss]

Co-incidence, who knows?

You're probably poisoning yourself with that much selenium. The rest is fine, even if it should be useless for prostate cancer prevention...

Since I'm very active, I take a full physical exam every year. I have never felt better in my life, and I think after ten years on my current regimen the poison you say I'm taking would have killed me. I might also add that I have not taken a prescription drug in 16 years. Nuff said......

This post has been edited by makoss: Nov 14 2009, 03:37 PM

[yoyo]

DHT isn't the main thing responsible for 'horny'

if you read the article, you'd see the supplements they talked about were thingks like beta-carotene, selenium, and vitamin E, which all used to be really popular.

and while i'm sure those aren't what someone thinks are the good things, whatever new supp is being pushed has the same evidence that those things did 5-10 years ago. but they turned out to not help.

[VespeneGas]

Which supplements is the author referring to? VItamin D? Saw Palmetto? Beta-Sitosterol? Stinging Nettle? Zinc? Harmful? European studies have shown these to be quite effective.

What and where? None of those have been shown to be effective AFAIK. Zinc is not just useless, it's dangerous. Vitamin D has never been tested for prostate cancer prevention.

What and where? OK, I speak for myself here. I'm 53 and was diagnosed with an enlarged prostate when I was 43. I did not opt for the prescription meds at the time and after researching I decided to take the supplements as a course of action. I began taking fish oil (3 grams), vitamin d (2000iu), zinc (30mg), selenium (800 mcg) and beta-sitosterol (350 mg) daily. I returned to the doctor every 6 months and within 3 years, my conditioned improved dramatically. Today my prostate is normal with no signs of enlargement. Co-incidence, who knows? I continue to take these supplement every day. Being Italian, I have eaten a Mediterranean diet my whole life, so a change in diet was not a factor. Also, I think you are underestimating Vitamins D's potential as a cancer fighter.

http://www.nature.com/pcan/journal/v12/n3/...pcan20097a.html

Ok, I wanted to agree with you, but why in science's name would you take over 1000% of your DV of selenium (double the tolerable upper intake)? Is this faith based supplementation, or are you sitting on research we don't know about?

[frankbuzin]

ECRI Institute Releases Roadmap to the Evidence on Finasteride for Prevention of Prostate Cancer:

In response to a recent New York Times article that questions why currently available medications designed to treat and prevent some cancers are being ignored, ECRI Institute (www.ecri.org), an independent nonprofit organization, is offering a roadmap to the evidence on Finasteride for Prevention of Prostate Cancer for free download.

https://www.ecri.org/Documents/Finasteride_...cer_Hotline.pdf

[makoss]

Which supplements is the author referring to? VItamin D? Saw Palmetto? Beta-Sitosterol? Stinging Nettle? Zinc? Harmful? European studies have shown these to be quite effective.

What and where? None of those have been shown to be effective AFAIK. Zinc is not just useless, it's dangerous. Vitamin D has never been tested for prostate cancer prevention.

What and where? OK, I speak for myself here. I'm 53 and was diagnosed with an enlarged prostate when I was 43. I did not opt for the prescription meds at the time and after researching I decided to take the supplements as a course of action. I began taking fish oil (3 grams), vitamin d (2000iu), zinc (30mg), selenium (800 mcg) and beta-sitosterol (350 mg) daily. I returned to the doctor every 6 months and within 3 years, my conditioned improved dramatically. Today my prostate is normal with no signs of enlargement. Co-incidence, who knows? I continue to take these supplement every day. Being Italian, I have eaten a Mediterranean diet my whole life, so a change in diet was not a factor. Also, I think you are underestimating Vitamins D's potential as a cancer fighter.

http://www.nature.com/pcan/journal/v12/n3/...pcan20097a.html

Ok, I wanted to agree with you, but why in science's name would you take over 1000% of your DV of selenium (double the tolerable upper intake)? Is this faith based supplementation, or are you sitting on research we don't know about?

Just realized the HUGE amount of selenium I specified was an ERROR on my part. It's actually 400 mcg. (200mcg twice per day). I somehow confused it with the 800 mcg of Folic acid which I eliminated from my regimen a while ago. Sorry for the confusion......I'm still alive and feeling great!

This post has been edited by makoss: Nov 21 2009, 06:28 PM

[doug123]

I saw a presenation on Supplements and Cancer care at The supplements conference in La Jolla. It's attached to this post.

Dr. Gaynor is one of the foremost authorities on Supplements and Cancer Care:



Wait a minute, I will upload it to a public space. Check back.

Okay, I couldn't attach the file since it's more than 2mb. You can download it free here:

http://rapidshare.com/files/306635027/Natu...r_Care.pdf.html

If it gets past 10 downloads, I will have to re-upload it. So PM me if I need to do that.

I just got a PM from someone who wanted a copy of Dr. Gaynor's presentation, so I re-uploaded it TWICE. Rapidshare has a limit of 10 downloads, so I re-uploaded it TWICE.

So first try this link:

http://rapidshare.com/files/310772823/Natu...r_Care.pdf.html

If that link doesn't work, try this one:

http://rapidshare.com/files/310773375/Natu...r_Care.pdf.html

Each of the above links have 10 downloads.

Someone PM me again when these run out.

Take care.

[Googlebot]

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