Encouraging Development in the Prevention of Recurrent Prostate Cancer

As the second leading cause of death in men prostate cancer, and in particular recurrent prostate cancer (that which reappears following surgery and/or radiation treatments) has been difficult to prevent and defeat. While progress has been made in extending the survival rate of men diagnosed with prostate cancer patients in which tumors reappear after surgery and/or radiation often fail to react to additional treatment. Doctors believe that this resistance of recurring tumors is indicative of a more aggressive form of prostate cancer which results in more rapid advancement of the cancer and reduced survival rates in patients in which these occur.

The most common treatment for men having recurring cancer following surgery and/or radiation is through hormone therapy which block the male sex hormones and temporarily stem the advancement of the cancer. However, most men receiving hormone therapy soon develop cancer cells which are resistant to such therapy and metastatic prostate tumors develop which are unresponsive to most known therapies and continue to develop and spread throughout the body even more aggressively.

As aggressive hormone therapy is the third and often final step (after surgery and radiation) to treating aggressive prostate cancer doctors have few treatment options once cancer cells develop an effective resistance (become androgen independent) to hormone therapy.

Recently a study conducted at UCLA and reported by the Journal of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics revealed an encouraging finding in combating the aggressive and androgen independent cancers found in recurring prostate cancer.

The study indicated that when extracts of pomegranate were added to androgen-independent human prostate cancer cells (those resistant to all other forms of treatment) the growth rate of these cells decreased significantly and more importantly the death rate of the prostate cancer cells increased significantly. Reduced prostate cancer cell growth and cancer cell death rates were proportionate to the pomegranate extract added to the cells.

Laboratory studies at UCLA (on lab animals) indicated that infusion of pomegranate extract not only reduced the size and growth of prostate cancer tumors, but also reduced the occurrence of the androgen-independent cancer cells making these cells now more responsive to androgen treatment therapies. Lab test also indicated that PSA levels in subjects treated with pomegranate extract dropped significantly vs. those who were not treated.

While these studies are not conclusive there are strong indications that the intake of pomegranate extract is a strong prohibitive factor in blocking the transcription factors in human genes which activate cancer cells. These are the factors which make aggressive cancers more resistant to chemotherapy, radiation and other cancer treatments and are thought to be responsible for the recurrence of prostate cancer cells.

While doctors caution this is a preliminary study the results are too encouraging to ignore. This is particularly true for those who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer and even more significant for those now suffering from recurrent prostate cancer following surgery and/or radiation.

One medical paper suggested that such patients begin a daily routine of drinking 16 oz of pomegranate juice daily and measure results with their next PSA. test. Hopefully the results will follow those seen in the lavatory and indicate a significant reduction in PSA reading (which indicates reduced cancer activity).

This is encouraging news not only for men, but indications are pomegranate extract may also have inhibiting effects on other cancers as well.