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| rich in lycopene. 10 Other studies have focused on the preventive value of supplements, with promising results: |
| Vitamin E has shown an ability to inhibit prostate cancer growth in human cells 11 as well as cell-culture studies.12 |
| In a study involving 29,000 male smokers, researchers found that those who took modest doses of vitamin E supplements over a period of six years were 32 percent less likely to develop prostate cancer and 41 percent less likely to die from the disease.13 |
| Intake of modified citrus pectin (MCP), a compound derived from citrus fruits, has been shown in animal tests to prevent the spread of prostate cancer. MCP appears to inhibit the binding abilities of cancer cells.14 |
| Screening Procedures |
| There is much controversy about the value of prostate cancer screening, appropriate staging evaluation, and the optimal treatment for each stage of the disease. The prostate-specific antigen test has become a common diagnostic measure recommended to all men past the age of forty and, as a result, more early-stage cancers have been detected. This has not, however, resulted in a lower mortality rate. The chances of dying from prostate cancer remain the same for those who are screened and those who are not.15 A multicenter trial sponsored by the National Cancer Institute is currently under way to determine the value of routine PSA screening for reducing mortality.16 Current screening procedures include: |
| PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen). PSA is a protein that is only produced by cells located within the prostate gland. Both benign and malignant cells produce this protein, and the larger the prostate gland the higher the PSA. Since the PSA count can he high in cases of benign prostate growth, a common occurrence in men as they age, it is not always an accurate marker by itself. A relatively new development that promises more accurate PSA testing is the discovery of the existence of two types of PSAfree and protein-bound. A low ratio of free PSA to protein-bound PSA indicates the presence of prostate cancer with 95 percent accuracy; a high ratio indicates a benign condition. |
| DRE (Digital Rectal Examination). Because the prostate gland is located adjacent to the rectum, a physician is able to feel the gland during |
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