Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer: this is one of the commonest cancers in men, affecting the prostate, a small gland about the size of the walnut. It surrounds the first part of the tube (urethra) that carries urine from the bladder to the penis. In the early stages, men are unlikely to notice any symptoms as these only occur when the cancer is large enough to put pressure on the urethra. They include difficulty in starting to pass urine, a poor or weak flow of urine, urgently needing to pass urine, passing more urine than usual (especially at night), feeling of a full bladder due to the retention or urine, burning or painful sensation when urinating, tenderness over the bladder, dull ache in the pelvis or back, sometimes blood in the urine (but this is uncommon), pain in the genitalia, extreme fatigue, prostate enlargement (BHP) and unexplained weight loss. .

Caution: Because early-stage prostate cancer can often develop without presenting any sign of obvious symptoms. Making regular (annual) screening and physical check-ups is very important for men 50 and older, as well as for younger men whose families have a history of cancer.

Prevention:

Prevention is the best approach for dealing with prostate cancer, as well as for all other male health conditions associated with the prostate and male sex organs. This includes having a regular (yearly) physical examination that includes both a digital rectal exam and, for men over 40, a blood test to determine your PSA (prostate specific antigen) score, which also screens for signs of prostate enlargement. (Note: Although the PSA test is also commonly used to screen for prostate cancer, in recent years it has been found to be ineffective for this purpose, to the point where even its developer no longer recommends that it be used as a marker for prostate cancer.) Other useful diagnostic tests to consider, depending on your symptoms, include urinalysis, ultrasound, and other blood tests that can help determine your immune status. Hormone testing should also be considered for all men over 40 years old.

Other preventive measures include eating a healthy diet, the details of which are defined clearly below, along with proper nutritional supplementation, and regular (at least three times per week) exercise. In addition, to minimize exposure to infectious disease that could further compromise your immune system, choose to wear a condom for extra protection.

Screening

Conventional medicine uses a variety of diagnostic techniques to screen for prostate cancer. In addition to the PSA test, these include biopsy, digital rectal exam (DRE), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Other tests to be considered are bones scans and tests for determining if cancer has spread beyond the prostate, such as ACP, ALP, and (RT)-PCR. What follows is an overview of each screening methods, as well the limitations associated with each one.

Biopsy: Biopsy involves the physician cutting off a small piece of prostate tissue that is then sent to a medical laboratory for analysis. The procedure is performed by inserting a very thin needle into the rectum and through the lining separating the prostate from the colon.

Although biopsy can be helpful in determining whether or not cancer exists, it has two potential shortcomings. First, it is quite possible that the physician can miss cancerous areas of the prostate, coming away with a healthy tissue sample that will render a false-negative reading (a reading that indicates the patient is free of cancer, when in fact he is not). Just as significantly, biopsy procedures can cause existing cancers to spread because of how they can cause small pieces of cancer tumours to enter the bloodstream, where they can then travel undetected to other areas of the body, forming new tumours and possibly metastasizing. For this reason, holistic cancer specialists often prefer not to perform biopsies.

Bone Scan: Bones scans are performed by intravenously injecting patients with a radioactive substance. A few hours later, the patient’s body is scanned with a sophisticated diagnostic device that enables radiologists to capture specialized images of the patient’s body. These images are then examined by the radiologist, who looks for signs of disturbances that would suggest cancer has spread to the bone. In addition to being an expensive procedure, bone scans are not specific, and often other bone problems, such as arthritis or osteoporosis are mistaken for cancer, thereby causing undue stress and additional problems for the patient who is misdiagnosed.

Digital Rectal Exam (DRE): The DRE test involves a physician placing his or her gloved finger inside the patient’s rectum in order to check the prostate for possible cancer signs, such as changes in prostate size, shape, and hardness, as well as bumps or hardened nodules. The DRE is not sophisticated and the signs that may be detected are by no means definitive. Moreover, such signs can be mistaken for cancer when all they actually indicate is an enlarged prostate (BPH). Either way, should possible signs be detected, additional tests are almost always required.

MRI: This procedure enables physicians and radiologists to, in a sense, peer inside the body to look for possible signs of cancer. Typically, MRIs are used to detect the spread of cancer and are not usually useful for diagnosing cancer in its earlier stages. In addition, the procedure can be cost-prohibitive, especially for patients who lack health insurance.

ACP, ALP, and (RT)-PCR Tests: The ACP test, also known as the serum acid phospatase test, is a blood test that can help to detect if cancer has spread. However, it is not always accurate and can give a false-positive result (indicating a person has cancer when he does not) for a variety of reasons, especially if there was ever catheterization for urinary problems, recent digital rectal exams, or if the patient has other prostate problems.

The ALP, or alkaline phosphatase, test is another blood test that screens for a specific enzyme associated with the bones, liver, and other body parts. If the liver value is high (more than 90-239 units per liter of blood), it can indicate that cancer has spread into the bones. However, the test is far from conclusive, and can result in false positive readings due to such factors as bone breaks and fractures, as well as various pharmaceutical drugs, such as barbiturates.

(RT)-PCR stands for reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. It is a fairly recently developed blood test that screens for the presence of cancer cells in the bloodstream. Unlike the ACP and ALP tests, it is much more accurate and can be highly useful for detecting cancer metastasis. However, it is far less accurate for detecting early stage cancer that is localized.

Nonconventional Cancer Tests
Holistic cancer specialists seek to diagnose prostate cancer at the earliest possible stage, using diagnostic methods that are both accurate and safe. To this end, they employ a variety of diagnostic methods, including electrodermal screening (EDS), thermography, ultrasound, and nonconventional blood tests, such as the Molecular Oncology Blood Test.

Electrodermal Screening (EDS): Electrodermal screening (EDS) is a non-invasive diagnostic technique that measures the electrical output of specific points on the hands, face, or feet that correlate to acupuncture meridian points at the beginning or end of energy meridians. The electrical signals given off at these points provide information about the health status of the body’s organs and organ systems, and can also be used to detect the presence of toxins, energy and hormonal imbalances, and harmful microorganisms, all of which can contribute to the onset of cancer in the body. In the hands of a highly skilled EDS practitioner, EDS can often detect cancer, as well as many other health conditions, even when other sophisticated testing methods fail to do so because of the fact that both health and disease are first and foremost the results of balanced or imbalanced energy.

Thermography: Thermography is both a safe and highly accurate method for detecting hidden cancers, including those in the prostate gland. It involves the detection of infrared heat emitted from various areas in the body. Infrared heat is emitted as a natural byproduct of cellular metabolism. However, cells and tissues associated with cancer usually emit greater levels of infrared heat compared to healthy, normal cells. Thermography devices are able to detect these differences in infrared heat emission, helping to pinpoint potential cancer problem areas in the body that might otherwise go undetected.

Ultrasound: Ultrasound is a highly effective diagnostic technique employed by both conventional and holistic healthcare practitioners. Many holistic cancer specialists prefer it over biopsy and PSA tests as a means of detecting prostate cancer because of its accuracy and the fact that, unlike biopsy, it offers no potential risk of cancer cells breaking off to enter into the blood stream.

The Molecular Oncology Blood Test: Developed by the researchers at the BioFocus Institute for Molecular Oncology and Laboratory Medicine in Recklinghausen, Germany, and widely used by physicians and oncologists throughout Germany and other European countries, the Molecular Oncology Blood Test is highly effective at detecting cancers of all types in their earliest stages, making successful treatment outcomes far more likely. The test works by identifying and isolating minute cancer cells in the bloodstream, often well before conventional diagnostic techniques can detect cancer. In addition, the test can be used to effectively match the most appropriate therapeutic anti-cancer agent with each patient’s unique treatment needs, significantly increasing the likelihood of a successful outcome.

The Molecular Oncology Blood Test is now available to patients in the United States and Canada. For more information, please visit www.biofocus.de and click the upper right corner of webpage for the English version.