Prostate cancer prevention, treatment does not include health supplements: study

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Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer among men in the U.S., aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, as per the CDC. In fact, about 220,800 of prostate cancer is estimated to be reported this year, according to the American Cancer Society.

A new study presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) 57th Annual Meeting reveals that men's health supplements do not benefit prostate cancer patients, CBS News reports. In fact, these supplements do not help lower the risk for experiencing side effects from radiation treatment, the risk of the localized cancer spreading, nor the risk of death from prostate cancer.

Researchers studied 2,200 men who were newly diagnosed with localized prostate cancer, with ages 36 and older, who underwent intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) between 2001 to 2012. Researchers also noted that one in two new cancer patients try dietary supplementation, mostly without their doctor's knowledge. Additionally, 10 percent of the study participants were consuming one or more of around 50 different types of men's health supplements that were marketed as "men's formula" or "prostate health," and labeled with "clinically proven" or "recommended by urologists."

Over 90 percent of the health supplements contained saw palmetto, a plant extract that is often promoted as treatment for enlarged prostate, but without definitive proof to support the claim. According to the researchers, some ingredients were unidentifiable, and were only listed as "trade secret enzyme."

Study lead author Dr. Nicholas Zaorsky, resident physician in radiation oncology at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia told Medscape, "None of the drug companies we know about have actually published a study in which these men's health supplements were used, so we wanted to see, first of all, do these drug help men with the cancer they are most likely to get, which is prostate cancer, and do they affect the side effects from radiation therapy?"

Results showed that the consumption of such supplements did not have any negative side effects, but also did not provide any benefits to prostate cancer patients. After accounting for lifestyle factors like exercise, diet and smoking, researchers found that overall survival did not improve with the consumption of such supplements.

It must be noted that dietary supplements are not subject to the same clinical trial review processes for conventional drugs in the U.S. In fact, supplement manufacturers are responsible for safety tests.

Dr. Stephen Freedland, director of the Center for Integrated Research in Cancer and Lifestyle at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles told CBS News that he does not recommend such supplements. He commented, "There is a growing number of studies that show they have no benefit, and may actually do harm. Patients don't understand the nuances of the claims being made. Maybe [some of these claims are] not mislabeling, but it's misleading."