Prostate Cancer Risk Reduction

You cannot change the genetic factors associated with some prostate cancers, but there are several health measures that may alter PSA, HGPIN, and prostate cancer risk.  Adopting lifestyle changes that were thought to be only heart-healthy, such as low fat diet, exercise, and stress reduction, is now felt to be good for prostate health. Other dietary changes or supplements that may prevent prostate cancer, many of which are undergoing clinical trials, include: processed (cooked) tomatoes, which contain lycopenes, soy protein, green tea, vitamin D, vitamin E, and selenium.

There are also several chemoprevention (drugs to prevent disease) trials that are ongoing. The NIH-sponsored trial of finasteride (Proscar) showed 25% reduction in prostate cancer risk, but those patients that did develop prostate cancer while on finasteride had a 25% increase in the more aggressive type of cancers. COX-2 inhibitors (non-steroidals) like Vioxx have also shown potential anti-cancer properties such as inhibiting cell growth, angiogenesis (developing blood vessels from neighboring tissue), apoptosis (programmed cell death), and invasiveness; these COX-2 inhibitors are also under study.