What you need to know about prostate cancer ... - Part IV

What you need to know about prostate cancer ... - Part IV

How can I prevent prostate cancer?

Because prostate cancer is a common disease and often has a very slow growing course, there is a lot of interest in trying to prevent prostate cancer with drugs, foods, or nutrients. Even a compound that could slow the progression of the disease could potentially decrease mortality from it. Right now, the best way to try and prevent prostate cancer is to modify the risk factors for prostate cancer that you have control over. You may want to try to eat a low fat diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables. Although certain foods, vitamins and minerals have been suggested to decrease your chances for getting prostate cancer, doctors still need more data before any particular food or supplement can be endorsed for preventing prostate cancer. Currently, there are studies looking at selenium, lycopen, vitamin A and other retinoids, vitamin D, vitamin E, and soy for prostate cancer prevention.

There is also interest in preventing prostate cancer by using drugs. We know that hormones like testosterone can cause prostate cancers to grow and develop, so there are experiments looking at drugs that can decrease the levels of testosterone in the prostate to attempt to stop prostate cancer from forming and growing. Drugs like Flutamide and Finasteride work in this manner, and they are currently under investigation for prostate cancer prevention. Another way to decrease testosterone in the prostate is to decrease the total amount of testosterone in the body. Drugs that decrease total body testosterone have a whole host of undesirable side effects (drugs that do this are currently used to treat men who have already developed prostate cancer and will be discussed later in the treatment section), so they aren't nearly as good choices for prostate cancer prevention.

Learn more about Prostate Cancer on CancerBasics.info ...

Types of Cancer Blog Library :: Prostate Cancer

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