Alternative Cancer Treatment | Cancer Cure | Cancer Remedies

The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a vaccine to treat prostate cancer.  It is the first vaccine that has ever been approved to treat cancer.  It is touted as the result of decades of intense, expensive scientific research.  It’s method of action is to use the powers of the immune system to fight cancer.  This vaccine, called Provenge, does not prevent cancer, nor does it cure cancer.

Studies show that even though Provenge does not prevent or cure cancer, it has been demonstrated in scientific trials to prolong the life of prostate cancer patients by an average of four months longer than patients who were given placebo shots.  The details of this research show that after 3 years, 32% of men given Provenge were still alive, compared to only 23% of men who were given placebos in the same time period.  This is a statistically significant improvement over the current treatment method.  The current standard chemotherapeutic substance, docetaxel, only improves life expectancy 2.4 months. continue reading…

I found an article that referenced a study that claims to have found that “watchful waiting” may be appropriate for some men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer.  It was found that men who choose not to have treatment for prostate cancer have an average delay of treatment of 7.7 years with no increased level of mortality when compared to men who choose immediate treatment.

The routine treatment for prostate cancer is radiation and/or surgery.  We discussed the dire side-effects of prostate cancer treatments previously, which include erectile dysfunction and incontinence.  There is really no definitive proof that early treatment prolongs life.  This makes it tough to justify early treatments.  It should be an individual choice, as circumstances for each patient vary.  But it seems to be a serious choice to make, considering that a man’s life and/or sex life may be at risk.  The alternatives should be closely evaluated, and an informed choice can then be made.  But it is crucial that all elements of the treatment options be considered along with the probable side-effects.

There appears to be a lot of controversy surrounding the issue of PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) testing and screening for men.  Some experts think that it is a beneficial. Others claim that it is causing the treatment of too many men, some of which would not really benefit from it.  This issue is very emotionally charged because of the side-effects that can be very detrimental to a man’s self-esteem and sex life.

Everyone recognizes that an earlier diagnosis of a malignant, aggressive cancer is good.  The problem is that many prostate cancers are slow-growing or are not life-threatening.  It is reported that as men age, many of them show evidence of growths in the prostate gland.  continue reading…