Curr Oncol Rep. 2001 Sep; 3(5): 448-52.

Complementary and alternative medicine in prostate cancer.

Jacobson JS, Chetty AP.

Department of Epidemiology, PH18-105, Mailman School of Public Health and Herbert Irving Cancer Center, Columbia University, 600 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA. jsj4@columbia.edu

Prostate cancer patients, like other cancer patients as well as the general population, are increasingly exploring the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). This paper describes the use of CAM in this patient population and the evidence regarding some CAM treatments in the setting of prostate cancer. Some herbal agents and micronutrients have demonstrated biologic activity that may benefit patients with prostate cancer. The clinical effects of these and others and the potential interactions among CAM treatments and with conventional treatment remain an appropriate target for further investigation.