One study posits that 35% of all cancers are due to dietary factors.  Specifically, diets high in fat and calories can lead to an increased risk of developing prostate cancer.
Schapira, David, MBChB, “Nutrition and Cancer Prevention,” Cancer Epidemiology, Prevention, and Screening 19.3 (September 1992): 481-90.

A diet that provides whole grains, dietary fiber, certain micronutrients, and a good balance of omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids helps reduce the risk of cancer.  Vegetables from the Brassica family (cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower) and tomatoes are the most effective in preventing cancer.  Saturated fat and alcohol both can increase the risk of cancer when consumed frequently.  Eating smoked, salted, or pickled foods and meat cooked at high temperatures can also increase one’s cancer risk.
Greenwald, P., Clifford, C.K., and Milner, J.A., “Diet and Cancer Prevention,” European Journal of Cancer 37 (2001): 948-965: 949; Wynder, Ernst L., Rose, David P., and Cohen, Leonard A., “Nutrition and Prostate Cancer: A Proposal for Dietary Intervention,” Nutrition and Cancer 22.1 (1994): 1-7.

Ellagic acid (in fruits, nuts, and seeds), phenethyl isothiocyanate (in broccoli and cauliflower), and flavonoids and polyphenolic acids (in fruits and vegetables) inhibit covalent bonding of DNA in cancer cells, preventing their reproduction.  Flavonoids are colorful plant chemicals that have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties.  Generation of tumors is reduced by consumption of foods high in retinol (vitamin A), including green and yellow vegetables and fruits; tocopherol (vitamin E), such as nuts and wheat germ; ascorbic acid (vitamin C), present in fruits and vegetables; beta-carotene, found in green and yellow vegetables; organosulfur compounds, present in onions and garlic; curcumin, in turmeric and curry spices; and capsaicin, the hot ingredient in chili peppers.  Garlic is very high in selenium, a cancer-fighting mineral.
Davis, Devra Lee, “Natural Anticarcinogens, Carcinogens, and Changing Patterns in Cancer: Some Speculation,” Environmental Research 50 (1989): 322-40.

Diets based on whole foods—composed of fresh ingredients rather than processed “ready to eat” foods—are protective against cancer.  In a study by Dr. James P. Carter and colleagues, nine patients diagnosed with prostate cancer were placed on a macrobiotic diet and compared with nine patients with prostate cancer who did not modify their diets.  The diet consisted of small amounts of meat and dairy products and increased intake of cereal grains, legumes, cruciferous vegetables, dark green leafy vegetables, and yellow vegetables.  All nine patients on the special diet survived for 5 years, without progression of their cancers, as compared with only 6% of the group who ate the standard American diet.  This study demonstrated the potential of a high-fiber, high-vegetable and low-fat intake to increase the lifespan of patients with prostate cancer. This dietary therapy may also help maintain a patient’s health while he or she is undergoing chemotherapy, radiation treatment, or surgery.
Carter, James P., MD, DrPh, Saxe, Gordon P., MPH, PhD, Newbold, Vivian, MD, Peres, Charles E., MD, Campeau, Richard J., MD, and Bernal-Green, Lynn, MD, “Hypothesis: Dietary Management May Improve Survival from Nutritionally Linked Cancers Based on Analysis of Representative Cases,” Journal of the American College of Nutrition 12.3 (1993): 209-26.
Other studies corroborate these discoveries, for example, Blot, William J., Li, Jun-Yao, Taylor, Philip R., Guo, Wando, et al, “Nutrition Intervention Trials in Linxian, China: Supplementation with Specific Vitamin/Mineral Combinations, Cancer Incidence, and Specific Mortality in the General Population,” Journal of the National Cancer Institute 85.18 (September 15, 1993) [pages needed.]  Another study credits the rapid decline in stomach cancer worldwide to dietary changes, such as reduced intake of salt and year-round consumption of fruits and yellow and green vegetables.  In addition, consumption of tomatoes, cruciferous vegetables, dark green vegetables, and vegetables in general has reduced the incidence of lung cancer: Davis, Devra Lee, “Natural Anticarcinogens, Carcinogens, and Changing Patterns in Cancer: Some Speculations,” Environmental Research 50 (1989): 322-40.

An anti-cancer effect of consuming diets based on whole grains has been noted in a variety of cultures around the world.
Jacobs, David R., Jr. and Marquart, Leonard, et al, “Whole-Grain Intake and Cancer: An Expanded Review and Meta-Analysis,” Nutrition and Cancer 30.2 (1998): 85-96.

 Either malnutrition or over-nutrition (obesity) offers cancers an opportunity to develop in the body.  Both of these conditions result in a deficiency of important nutrients that promote the health of our immune cells, which, among other functions, defend the body against cancer  In a comprehensive evaluation, a decreased immune response was observed in people with a deficiency in any of the following vitamins and micronutrients: zinc, selenium, iron, copper, vitamins A, C, E, B6, and folic acid. 
Scrimshaw, Nevin S. and San Giovanni, John Paul, “Synergism of Nutrition, Infection, and Immunity: An Overview.”  The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 66 (1997): 460S-35S. 

Diets high in sugar may provide food for cancer cells (in addition to supplying the body with empty, nutrient-deficient calories.)
www.rheumatic.org/sugar.htm.

 Fat is an essential part of the diet, as fats contribute to the structure of cell membranes, which provide a barrier between the inside and outside of the cell. It is not fat in general, but certain kinds of fat in particular,that should not be consumed in excess.
Schuurman, Agnes G., van den Brandt, Piet A., Dorant, Elisabeth, Brants, Henny A.M., and Goldbohm, R. Alexandra, “Association of Energy and Fat Intake with Prostate Carcinoma Risk: Results from the Netherlands Cohort Study,” Cancer 86.6 (September 15, 1999): 1019-26.

Essential fatty acids, omega-6 (e.g., alpha-linoleic acid) and omega-3 (e.g., alpha-linolenic acid and oleic acid), must be supplied by the diet; like essential amino acids, the body cannot manufacture these fats from raw materials.  Both of these essential fatty acids perform necessary functions, but for many people, omega-6 is much more prevalent in the diet than omega-3.  Excess consumption of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids promotes cancer growth, whereas carcinogenic effects are reduced by consumption of sufficient amounts of omega-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids, found in flax seed oil and fish body oils. 
Greenwald, Clifford, and Milner 953; Wynder et al 5.

Omega-6 fatty acids are the precursors to inflammatory chemicals—the substances that allow the body to respond to injury—and omega-3 fatty acids are the precursors to anti-inflammatory chemicals.  Ideally, there is a balance of these two functions, allowing for the production of inflammation after injury but at the same time ensuring the inflammation does not continue too long, become too extensive, or occur with insufficient damage to merit that response.  While the body needs a certain amount of the inflammatory chemicals to respond to injury, tipping the balance toward inflammation increases the risk of a number of diseases, including cancer, as the process of inflammation releases cell-destroying (and cancer-promoting) free radicals.
Another possible reason for the link between high dietary fat consumption and prostate cancer is that eating more fat increases levels of testosterone, which in turn can encourage increased cell division, activation of proto-oncogenes, and inhibition of tumor suppressor genes.
Schuurman et al 1020.

In one study, consumption of omega-3 fatty acids significantly retarded growth of prostate cancer cells.  This effect was mediated through a decrease in PGE-3 synthesis, the chemical pathway that produces inflammatory molecules.
Hughes-Fulford, Millie, Chen, Yunfei, and Tjandrawinata, Raymond R., “Fatty Acid Regulates Gene Expression and Growth of Human Prostate Cancer PC-3 Cells,” Carcinogenesis 22.5 (2001): 701-7.

Some researchers have proposed that omega-3 fatty acids be used as adjuncts to therapies aimed at controlling tumor metastases, particularly because these fats can decrease the adverse effects of chemotherapeutic drugs.
Butrum, Ritva R. and Messina, Mark J. “Cancer.”  In Simopoulos, A.P., Kifer, R.R., et al, Health Effects of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Seafoods: World Review of Nutrition and Diet 66, Karger, 1991: 48-50.  “Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Research Advances and Support in the Field Since June 1985,” Simopoulos and Kifer 51-71.

   Excessive consumption of omega-6 fatty acids relative to omega-3 fatty acids is associated with increased levels of LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream, which is connected with the growth of cancer cells as well as heart disease.
Hughes-Fulford, Chen, and Tjandrawinata 701.

Some experts suggest that increasing the proportion of omega-3 fats (e.g., in ground flax seeds) in the diet, along with restricting intake of other kinds of fats (such as those found in fried or processed foods), is beneficial.
Demark-Wahnefried, Wendy, Price, David T., Polascik, Thomas J., Robertson, Cary N., Anderson, E. Everett, Paulson, David F., Walther, Philip J., Gannon, Melissa, and Vollmer, Robin T., “Pilot Study of Dietary Fat Restriction and Flaxseed Supplementation in Men With Prostate Cancer Before Surgery: Exploring the Effects on Hormonal Levels, Prostate-Specific Antigen, and Histopathologic Features,” Urology 58.1 (2001): 47-52.

 The consumption of soybean products (i.e., soy isoflavones) has been associated in numerous studies with a decreased risk of developing cancer.  There is a lower incidence of prostate cancer among Asian men who eat their traditional diet, versus men from Western nations, which is attributable to eating more soy products and thus more isoflavonoids.
Wynder et al 6; Cohen, Leonard A., “Nutrition and Prostate Cancer: A Review,” Annals of the New York
Academy of Sciences 963 (2002): 148-55.

In one study, investigators found a higher concentration of isoflavonoids in the prostate cells of Asian men than of Western men.
Morton, M.S., Matos-Ferreira, A., Abranches-Monteiro, L., Correia, R., Blacklock, N., Chan, P.S.F, Cheng, C., Lloyd, S., Wu, Chieh-ping, and Griffiths, K., “Measurement and Metabolism of Isoflavonoids and Lignans in the Human Male,” Cancer Letters 114 (1997): 145-151.

Many prostate cancers are sensitive to a decrease in the level of androgens.  Therefore, a common treatment is antihormone therapy.  Antiandrogens are given to compete with the real androgens for a receptor.  When the antiandrogens bind to the hormone receptor, they prevent the growth of the cancer cells.  However, there are adverse effects, which include gynecomastia (breast growth), infertility, fatigue, depression, osteoporosis, nausea, diarrhea, and a delayed adjustment of vision to low light levels.  A second hormone therapy inhibits the enzyme 5-alpha reductase to prevent conversion of testosterone to DHT.  Impotence and decreased libido are the adverse effects of this treatment.
Lenhard, Raymond E., Jr., MD, Osteen, Robert T., MD, and Gansler, Ted, MD, Clinical Oncology, Atlanta: American Cancer Society, 2001: 433-5.

  Synthetic estrogens block the pituitary gland’s secretion of LH, thus inhibiting the synthesis of androgens in the testes.  This treatment can produce serious adverse effects, including myocardial infarction (heart attack), thromboemboli (blood clots that can cause heart attacks, strokes, and cessation of breathing, among other things), strokes, hypercalcemia (too much calcium in the blood), gynecomastia (enlargement of the breast tissue), and impotence.
Mycek, Mary J., Harvey, Richard A., and Champe, Pamela C., Lippincott’s Illustrated Reviews: Pharmacology, Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins, 2000

Estrogen, the hormone that causes continued maturation of egg cells and growth of the uterine endometrial lining in women, increases in men as they age.  Animal studies have shown that estrogen increases the amount of androgen (male hormones, including testosterone and DHT) receptors in the prostate. In prostate cancer, the danger of having all these extra hormones present is that neoplastic cells contain androgen receptors just as normal, healthy cells do, and the hormones bind to cancer cells as they do to normal prostate epithelial (lining) cells, causing the cancer cells to grow as they would cause the normal cells to grow.
Cotran, Ramzi S., MD and Kumar, Vinay, MD, ERC Path, Collins, Tucker, MD, PhD, Robbins’ Pathologic Basis of Disease, Philadelphia: Saunders, 1999: 1027-1031.

The importance of soy isoflavonoids for the prevention of prostate cancer is due to their inhibition of enzyme activity involved in cancer development, such as 5-alpha-reductase, aromatase, and tyrosine-specific protein kinase.  They also alter estrogen metabolism, which can prevent oncogenes from being turned on, while making sure tumor suppressor genes are turned on. Furthermore, soy isoflavonoids induce cell cycle arrest (stopping cells from going through the process of growth and division, hence preventing tumors from getting larger) and activate topoisomerase-II enzymes, which break up the DNA in cancer cells.  In addition, they halt angiogenesis, the process by which cancer cells create their own blood supply, the nutrients from blood then being used to feed their continued growth.
Hong, Sung Joon, Kim, Sun Il, Kwon, Soo Mee, Lee, Jong Ran, and Chung, Bong Chul, “Comparative Study of Concentration of Isoflavones and Lignans in Plasma and Prostatic Tissues of Normal Control and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia,” Yonsei Medical Journal 43.2 (2002): 236-41.
 
Different dietary practices around the world are connected with the varying incidence of different chronic diseases, including diverse forms of cancer. For example, people eating a traditional Asian diet are at high risk of developing stomach cancer because of the consumption of pickled foods, whereas people who eat a Western diet are at increased risk of developing prostate, breast, and ovarian cancer.  Throughout the world, a high intake of fruits and vegetables has been shown to be cancer preventative.  The beneficial effects of eating fresh fruits and vegetables derive from their high amounts of fiber, as well as of vitamins K, A, D, E, C, and the B complex vitamins, as well as calcium, folic acid, beta-carotene, and flavonoids.
Weisburger, John H., “Nutritional Approach to Cancer Prevention, With Emphasis on Vitamins, Antioxidants, and Carotenoids,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 53 (1991): 2265-75.

Various dietary habits are associated with prostate cancer risks, as was determined by use of a dietary questionnaire in a study that followed 20,885 men over a period of 11 years.  Those who ate high amounts of dairy products and calcium-rich foods were found to have an increased risk of prostate cancer.  The mechanism of action for the development of prostate cancer through eating large amounts of these foods was demonstrated through in vitro studies.  The most active form of vitamin D, 1,25-(OH)2D3, is protective against prostate cancer, and high levels of calcium circulating in the blood suppress the production of this form of the vitamin.
Chun, June M., Stampfer, Meir J., Ma, Jing, Gann, Peter H., Gaziano, J. Michael, and Giovannucci, Edward L, “Dairy Products, Calcium, and Prostate Cancer Risk in the Physicians’ Health Study,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 74 (2001): 549-54.

To support the inherent cancer-fighting mechanisms of the body and to prevent infection, it is essential to strengthen the immune system.  Herbal medicines, natural supplements, acupuncture, dietary counseling, visualization and hydrotherapy are used in this aspect of healing.

 Hydrotherapy is an ancient practice, dating back at least to the use of healing baths in mineral springs in ancient Roman times.  Simple, economical techniques, such as the use of alternating hot and cold foot baths, heating compresses (wrapping an affected body part with a well–wrung-out, cool cloth and placing a warm, dry wool cloth over it), and steam baths have been a part of home health treatments in a variety of cultures for generations.
The “water cure” by Father Sebastian Kneipp attracted thousands of people to his small Bavarian parish of Woerishofen.  Dr. Otis G. Carroll, one of the founders of naturopathy in the early twentieth century, became a proponent of hydrotherapy after receiving a successful treatment from one of Father Kneipp’s students.  Also an electrician, Dr. Carroll not only developed and refined Kneipp’s methods, but also combined them with the emerging practice of electrotherapy to produce constitutional hydrotherapy, a mainstay of water treatment today.  This combination of applying moist towels (alternately hot and cold) to the chest/abdomen and back, and use of a gentle electrical current, enhances the immune response, improves the body’s capacity to absorb and utilize nutrients, encourages the removal of cellular and environmental wastes, and promotes a healthy balance between the two parts of our autonomic nervous system, the “fight or flight” sympathetic and the “rest and digest” parasympathetic systems, which regulate all our bodily processes.
Boyle, Wade, ND and Saine, Andre, ND, Lectures in Naturopathic Hydrotherapy.  Sandy: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1988: 135.

 Hydrotherapy’s benefits arise from the capacity of both warm and cold water to improve blood flow to organs and tissues, transporting vital nutrients to the working cells, while at the same time removing the waste products of our cells’ work.  Early naturopaths identified five organs as “emunctories” (organs of elimination, helping to remove waste products from the body): liver, kidneys, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and skin.  They found that hydrotherapy improves overall health by increasing blood flow to each of these organs, allowing them to perform their eliminative work optimally.  If blood flow was stagnant, they argued, the weight of “morbid matter”—what we might now think of as “toxic burden,” including free radicals that damage our tissues, industrial pollutants, and the waste products of our own bodily processes—would accumulate enough to cause ill health. 
Hydrotherapy, on the other hand, promotes the process of detoxification through improved blood flow, increased sweating (to remove toxins through the skin), better absorption of nutrients from food and more regular bowel activity, and increased urination (indicating increased kidney activity—reabsorption of nutrients while excreting wastes.)  Yet removing wastes is not hydrotherapy’s only function: it also helps build the blood by increasing desirable elements, such as red and white blood cells, nutrients, and oxygen.  In addition, water treatments improve immune functioning by nourishing the reticuloendothelial system, through which our illness-fighting white blood cells recognize invaders and are guided to the tissues where they are needed.
Boyle, Wade, ND and Saine, Andre, ND, Lectures in Naturopathic Hydrotherapy, Sandy: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1988: 17-18.
 
One study demonstrated that hydrotherapy can boost immune function, eliminate excess fluid, and reduce the incidence of colds and flu by 50%. 
Ernst, E., Pecho, E., Wirz, P., Saradeth, T., “Regular Sauna Bathing and the Incidence of Common Colds,” Annals of Medicine, 22.4 (1990): 225-7.

External hydrotherapy treatments produce profound effects on immune function, particularly through applications of hot water, which increases the number and activity of natural killer cells, key white blood cells the body recruits in its fight against cancer.
Blazickova, S., Rovensky, J., Koska, J., Vigas, M., “Effect of Hyperthermic Water Bath on Parameters of Cellular Immunity,” International Journal of Clinical Pharmocology Residents 20. 1-2 (2000): 41-6.

Hot sitz baths are helpful as a treatment for prostate disorders.  To perform the treatment, the patient needs to sit in hot water (ranging from 105-115° F) for 3 to 10 minutes.  (Sitting in a water-filled basin placed in the bathtub is an easy way to do this.)  After the bath, the patient sponges the area off with cool water, removing any wastes the skin has excreted and closing the pores.  The purpose of the bath is to relax the area and open the urinary passageway.  However, if the prostate is acutely inflamed or infected, or if the patient is concerned about the fertility problems that may arise from the high temperature of the water, he should avoid this treatment.
Murray, Michael T., ND, Male Sexual Vitality, Rocklin: Prima, 1994: 69-70.

Cancer cells are more vulnerable to heat than normal, healthy cells, dying at temperatures at and above 42° C, or 107.6° F [though this temperature cannot be safely achieved by use of hydrotherapy].
Quillin, Patrick, Beating Cancer with Nutrition, Tulsa: Nutrition Times, 1994: 11.

Another way to perform the sitz bath is to use alternating hot and cold soaks, sitting in a basin of hot water first, then cold water, then hot, and so on, always ending the treatment with cold water.  This treatment not only reduces the pain and discomfort of prostate conditions, but it also reduces congestion to the pelvic area and promotes the restoration of healthy tissues.
Clements, Harry, ND, DO, Nature Cure for Prostate Troubles, Gateway House: Health For All, 1954: 33-4.

Clements also recommends a purifying water-only fast for up to three days, which increases urinary output and empties the stomach completely, allowing for removal of wastes while not burdening the body with new ones.
Clements 29.

Botanical medicines help stimulate the immune system to protect the body from cancer and other diseases. 

An example is Pygeum africanum, the African plum, used as a plant extract made out of the bark of the tree.  It is sold in France under the trade name of Tadenan, and in the United States, it is an over-the-counter herbal medication, often combined with saw palmetto.  This herb is used for a variety of conditions affecting the male urinary tract—benign prostatic hyperplasia (the non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland that often occurs with age), prostate cancer, and lower urinary tract problems.  The medicine is believed to have a protective effect on the bladder.  It has been shown to ameliorate the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia, such as decreased urinary flow and increased prostate gland size.
Fagelman, Elliot and Lowe, Franklin C., “Herbal Medications in the Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), Urologic Clinics of North America 29.1 (February 2002); Breza, J., Dzurny, O., Borowka, A., Hanus, T., Petrik, R., Blane, G., and Chadha-Boreham, H., “Efficacy and Acceptability of Tadenan (Pygeum Africanum extract) in the Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH): A Multicentre Trial in Central Europe,” Current Medical Residents’ Opinion 14.3 (1998): 127-39; McQueen, Cydney E. and Bryant, Patrick, “Pygeum,” American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy 58.2 (January 15, 2001): 120-3; Chatelain, C., Autet, W., and Brackman, F., “Comparison of Once and Twice Daily Dosage Forms of Pygeum Africanum Extract in Patients with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A Randomized, Double-Blind Study, with Long-term Open Label Extension,” Urology 54.3 (1999): 473-8.

Pygeum has been reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory activity, has effects on sex hormones that are helpful in relieving symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia and other general disorders of the urinary tract (promoting prostate health in general), and inhibits abnormal growth of prostate cells.
Andro, Marie-Christine and Riffaud, Jean-Pierre, “Pygeum Africanum Extract for the Treatment of Patients with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A Review of 25 Years of Published Experience,” Current Therapeutic Research 56.8 (August 1995): 796-817.

Andrographis paniculata, an Asian medicinal herb, has a variety of curative activities.  Of relevance to men with prostate cancer is its capacity to protect the body from a variety of cancer-causing chemicals and other agents by stimulating macrophages.  These largest of the white blood cells seek out and engulf invading organisms and other particles not belonging to the body, degrading the invaders with strong chemicals inside them.  They also present their “catch” to B and T cells, the two types of white blood cell involved in immune memory.
“Andrographis Paniculata,” Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, April 2002: 22.

 Boswellia serrata (or Boswellia carteri) trees secrete frankincense, a gum resin whose use in medicine extends back more than 5,000 years, to ancient Egypt.  Both varieties are used in classical Chinese medicine for treating inflammation from trauma and swellings of other kinds.  A major active ingredient in frankincense is boswellic acid, which has an alpha and beta form.  Studies have recently substantiated the anti-inflammatory effects that Chinese and Egyptian physicians knew about thousands of years ago.  Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, Boswellia has demonstrable effectiveness on chronic arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and bronchial asthma.
Boik, John, Natural Compounds in Cancer Therapy: Promising Nontoxic Antitumor Agents from Plants and Other Natural Sources, Princeton: Oregon Medical Press, 2001: 302-4.
 
 Boswellic acid has been shown to stimulate differentiation and/or inhibit proliferation in leukemia and brain cancer.  Its anti-inflammatory effect reduces edema in brain tumor patients.  In children with brain cancer, boswellic acid has relieved both general symptoms and produced regression of neurological symptoms.
Boik 304.

  Boswellic acid improves the efficacy of the immune system overall by increasing the total number of leukocytes, humoral antibodies, and T cells.
Yance, Donald R., Jr., Herbal Medicine, Healing, and Cancer, Chicago: Keats, 1999: 129-30.

Twenty-six healthy young men consumed a low-fat diet, with less than 20% of their caloric intake derived from fats.  This dietary modification improved natural killer cell activity (these are the immune system cells most responsible for fighting cancer).  These results are most likely applicable to patients needing an immune system boost for conditions besides cancer.
Barone, Jeanine, Herbert, James R., and Reddy, Mohan M., “Dietary Fat and Natural Killer Cell Activity,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 50 (1989): 861-7.

Deficiencies in various nutrients depress the immune system and increase the body’s vulnerability to infection.  Arginine, an essential amino acid, enhances the activity of phagocytes and T-helper cells, while glutamine, an amino acid our bodies produce, is required for the growth of lymphocytes (T and B cells, involved in immune memory and antibody formation.)  Beta-carotene stimulates natural killer cell activity.  A decrease in vitamin C (ascorbic acid) intake results in decreased T lymphocyte response to infection, delayed skin hypersensitivity (a reaction that shows immune memory cells reacting to an antigen), decreased response by phagocytes (the cells that engulf and degrade invading organisms), and decreased concentration of complement (a complex cascade of chemical events that is the immune system’s first response to attack.)  Vitamin D is responsible for the differentiation and maturation of lymphocytes.  Vitamin E increases cell-mediated (T cell) and humoral (B cell) immunity when taken as a supplement.  It is also a free radical scavenger and increases the number and activity of natural killer cells.  When vitamin B6 is deficient, immune cells cannot proliferate.  Vitamin B12 deficiency also suppresses the immune system by decreasing the overall number of white blood cells.  Zinc deficiency results in a multifactorial immune response decrease, including suppression of the thymus gland.  (This is the organ where T cells “learn” to make the correct immune response by differentiating between proteins belonging to the body and those from outside the body.)
Scrimshaw and San Giovanni 464S-77S; Gay, Raina, MS and Meydani, Simin Nikbin, DVM, PhD, “ The Effects of Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12 on Immune Function,” Nutrition in Clinical Care 4.4 (2001): 188-98.

Studies of people with serious illnesses, including cancer, reveal that the state of a person’s mind and spirit can make him or her more or less susceptible to illness, from the common cold to severe systemic diseases.  In a study of focus group meetings in which the needs and experiences of 54 cancer survivors and 14 supporters were identified, it was observed that patients who felt they had no control over the progress of their cancers were more prone to depression and anxiety, and ultimately fared worse in their struggle to survive cancer, than were those who attempted to be proactive in regaining and maintaining their health after cancer treatment.
Turton, Pat and Cooke, Helen. Complementary Therapies in Nursing and Midwifery, Bristol: Harcourt, 2000: 130-7. 

Researchers performing a pilot study of the physiological and psychological effects of music therapy on cancer patients found that listening to music led to an increase in IgA levels (one of the antibodies the body makes to fight infections).  In addition, while both listening to and playing music, the people in the study demonstrated a decrease in levels of cortisol (the adrenal hormone the levels of which increase in times of stress; when it is released, the immune system function becomes less effective).  The study found overall evidence of increased positive emotions, sense of well-being, relaxation, immune function, and energy with music therapy.
Burns, Sarah J.I., Harbuz, Michael S., Hucklebridge, Frank, and Bunt, Leslie, “A Pilot Study Into the Therapeutic Effects of Music Therapy at a Cancer Help Center,” Alternative Therapies 7.2 (March 2001): 48-56. 

In a series of studies in which patients watched and laughed at a comedy film, levels of plasma cells, which were measured before, during, and after the film, were found to be elevated while patients were watching and immediately afterward.
Berk, Lee S., Fellen, David, Tan, Stanley A., Bittmann, Barry B., and Weslengard, James, “Modulation of Autoimmune Parameters During the Eustress of Humor-Associated Mirthful Laughter,” Alternative Therapies 7.2 (March 2001): 62-75.

 Methionine is a major source of methyl groups to transfer to DNA and other molecules.  Methylation, the process of adding a methyl group to a molecule, is a major way to regulate gene expression.
 Normal cells use methionine differently from cancer cells.  Homocysteine is a precursor to methionine.  If normal cells are exposed to homocysteine, they can use it, but cancer cells cannot; they require that homocysteine be converted to methionine before they can make use of it.  Methionine dependence is thought to be due to higher rates of transmethylation in cancer cells than in normal cells; because the cancer cells are growing at an accelerated rate, their gene expression is also accelerated.
 In experiments with laboratory-grown cancer cells, methionine restriction has inhibited growth of certain human prostate cancer cells.  PC-3 and DU145 cells will stop growing in nutrient baths filled with homocysteine rather than methionine.  Growth of cells from another cell line, known as LNCaP, is only partially inhibited by the absence of methionine. 
Lu, Shan, and Epner, Daniel E., “Molecular Mechanisms of Cell Cycle Block by Methionine Restriction in Human Prostate Cancer Cells.”  Nutrition and Cancer 38.1 (2000): 123-30.

To minimize the effects of methionine on the growth of prostate cancer cells, taking methioninase is beneficial, as this enzyme causes breakdown of methionine and its removal from the body.
Lu and Epner 123-30.

 Beta-sitosterol is a phytosterol, or plant counterpart to cholesterol in animals.  It has a similar structure to cholesterol, but it is absorbed into the body at a lower rate, and among phytosterols, it has been shown to be one of the most effective cancer preventers.  Vegetarians and people who eat a traditional Asian diet derive a larger amount of these compounds (300-450 mg per day) from their food than omnivores do, and this higher intake has a protective effect, inhibiting tumor growth.
Laboratory studies of cell cultures show that phytosterols, especially beta-sitosterol, inhibit prostate cancer, specifically growth of the LNCaP cells, the cells least affected by removal of methionine from the body.  They also have a positive effect on people with colon cancer.  Beta-sitosterol inhibits tumor growth and stimulates apoptosis. 
Awad, Atif B., Gan, Yongmei, and Fink, Carol, “Effects of Beta-Sitosterol, A Plant Sterol, on Growth, Protein Phosphatase 2A, and Phospholipase D in LNCaP Cells,” Nutrition and Cancer 36.1 (2000): 74-9

Peanuts are a major source of beta-sitosterol.  Olive oil is another source, but the processed olive oils available to most consumers do not supply an adequate amount.  Avocadoes and pumpkin seeds, as well as nuts in general, contain beta-sitosterol, and they are better alternatives to peanuts, which may have a pro-inflammatory effect, which is not beneficial in cancer patients.  Pumpkin seeds also contain zinc and other ingredients that are healthy for the male reproductive system.
Awad, Atif, Chan, Karen, Downie, Arthur, and Fink, Carol, “Peanuts as a Source of Beta-Sitosterol, a Sterol with Anticancer Properties,” Nutrition and Cancer 36.2 (2000): 238-42.

Certain herbal medicines and even culinary spices have anti-cancer effects.  St. John’s wort, traditionally used for conditions affecting the nerves (both physical conditions like neuralgia and psychological conditions like depression), also inhibits neoplastic activity.
Zhang, W., et al, “Growth Inhibition and Apoptosis in Human Neuroblastoma SK-N-SH Cells Induced by Hypericin, a Potent Inhibitor of Protein Kinase C,” Cancer Letters 96.1 (1995): 31-5.  DeWitte, P., et al, “Inhibition of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Activity by Hypericin,” Biochemical Pharmacology 46.11 (1993): 1929-36.

  Curcumin, an anti-inflammatory substance in the culinary spice turmeric, can reduce damage from the inflammation that may lead to the eventual development of cancer.
Pereira, M.A., et al, “Effects of the Phytochemicals Curcumin and Quercetin Upon Azoxymethane-Induced Colon Cancer,” Carcinogenesis 17.6 (1996): 1305-11.  Sreejayan and Rao, M.N., “Nitric Oxide Scavenging by Curcuminoids,” Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology 49.1 (1997): 105-57.

  Quercetin, a flavonoid found in many fruits and vegetables, has chemopreventive and antioxidant properties.  It has the ability to inhibit the formation of arachidonic acid (a pro-inflammatory chemical) and has been shown to inhibit the growth and proliferation of tumor cells.
Pereira et al 1305-11.

 Bupleurum chinense helps fight cancer by inducing apoptosis (programmed cell death) and inhibiting angiogenesis (the creation of a blood supply to feed a tumor).  Chemicals in the herb called saponins have an anti-inflammatory effect similar to the synthetic corticosteroid prednisone.
Hughes-Fulford, Chen,  and Tjandrawinata 706.

Maintaining a good balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the diet is essential to reducing the risk of prostate and other cancers.  Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce the growth of certain prostate cancer cells, while omega-6 fatty acids promote their growth; omega-6 fatty acids have been identified as contributors to prostate, breast, and colon cancer when eaten in excess.  Omega-3 fats stop cancer cells from growing by decreasing the synthesis of PGE-2 and COX-2, the chemicals that produce inflammation in the body.
Hughes-Fulford, Chen,  and Tjandrawinata 706.
 
Flax seeds, which are particularly high in alpha-linolenic acid, defend against prostate cancer development by stopping the cancer cells from proliferating and by encouraging apoptosis, the body’s way of eliminating cells that are too aged or damaged to carry out their functions.
Demark-Wahnefried et al 47.

Lignans, a form of phytoestrogen found in flax seeds, were seen in one study to reduce the amount of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in men.  (PSA is considered a marker of the presence of prostate cancer.)  Lignans help regulate the body’s production, use, and excretion of estrogen and androgens, both of which are present in men’s and women’s bodies, and an excess of which has been implicated in prostate cancer.  These compounds are similar to the isoflavones in soybeans, another cancer-fighting plant chemical.
Damark-Wahnefried et al 48.

Some kinds of omega-6 fatty acids are protective against cancer.  The findings of one study demonstrated a connection between consumption of conjugated linoleic acid (found in dairy products and the meat of ruminant animals, such as cows) and prevention of the growth and spread of prostate cancer cells in vitro.
Palombo, John D., Ganguly, Aniruddha, Bistrian, Bruce R., and Menard, Michael P., “The Antiproliferative Effects of Biologically Active Isomers of Conjugated Linoleic Acid on Human Colorectal and Prostatic Cancer Cells,” Cancer Letters 177.2 (March 28, 2002): 163-72.

 Vitamin E, a fat-soluble vitamin and free-radical scavenger, has protective effects against prostate cancer, especially in its alpha-tocopherol form, the form of the vitamin most biologically active and most readily available in food.
Neuhouser, Marian L., Kristal, Alan R., Patterson, Ruth E., Goodman, Phyllis J., and Thompson, Ian M., “Dietary Supplement Use in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial: Implications for Prevention Trials,” Nutrition and Cancer 39.1 (2001): 12-18.

In one study, vitamin E, which protects cell membranes and proteins from attacks by oxygen free radicals, was found to decrease DNA damage and inhibit malignant transformation—in other words, reducing the mutations that give rise to cancer.  Vitamin E also increases immune function.  The same study also determined that in men over 70 years of age, use of vitamin A increased the risk of prostate cancer.
Olson, Karin B. and Pienta, Kenneth J., “Vitamins A and E: Further Clues for Prostate Cancer Prevention,” Journal of the National Cancer Institute 90.6 (March 18, 1998): 414-15.

Supplementation with vitamin E at a dosage of 50 mg/day (five times the RDA) over a period of 5 to 8 years led to a 34% decrease in the incidence of prostate cancer.
Albanes, Demetrius, Heinonen, Olli P., Huttunen, Jussi K., Taylor, Philip R., Virtamo, Jarmo, Edwards, Brenda K., Haapaskoski, Jaason, Rautalahti, Matti, Hartman, Anne M., Palmgern, Juni, and Greenwald, Peter, “Effects of Alpha-Tocopherol and Beta-Carotene Supplements on Cancer Incidence in the Alpha-Tocopherol Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 62 (Supplemental—1995): 1427S-30S.
 
 Vitamin D, found in fish body oils, encourages differentiation of cells, the process by which cells develop the capacity to perform specific functions. This is an important cancer-fighting ability, as the more differentiated a cell is, the better the prognosis for that cancer.
Garland, Cedric F., Garland, Frank C., and Gorham, Edward D., “Calcium and Vitamin D: Their Potential Roles in Colon and Breast Cancer Prevention,” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences [need issue and date]: 107-17.  For a more general review of the role of Vitamin D in prostate cancer prevention, see Neuhouser et al 2001.

Vitamin D prevents cancer cells from proliferating and improves the function of the immune system.  One study demonstrated that vitamin D induces differentiation of cancer cells and perhaps restores normal responses to hormonal signaling (both producing and responding to signals).
Zhao, Xiao-Yan, and Feldman, David, “The Role of Vitamin D in Prostate Cancer,” Steroids 66 (2001): 293-300. 

Epithelial cells in the prostate (the cells lining the inside of the gland) have vitamin D receptors and, with too little vitamin D in the body, they are not stimulated to differentiate.
Peehl, Donna M., Seto, Eugene, and Feldman, David, “Rationale for Combination Ketoconazole/Vitamin D Treatment of Prostate Cancer,” Urology 58 (Supplement 2A), August 2001: 123-26.

Supplementation with vitamin D, in concert with other substances, further encourages the differentiation of cells.
Zhao and Feldman 298.

 Selenium is a trace mineral that significantly inhibits the growth of tumors.  By taking 200 micrograms of selenium a day (in the form of yeast fortified with selenium) over a period of 4½ years, men had a 60% decrease in their rate of developing prostate cancer, compared with that of a control group.  Selenium shares with other cancer fighters the ability to stop cancerous cells from growing, and also induces apoptosis, but its metabolites (chemical products of the breakdown of the mineral) also stop angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels to feed the tumor.
Cohen 151.

 The carotenoid lycopene scavenges free radicals and has been found to play a role in the suppression of cancer cell proliferation.  It is found in tomatoes (the body can make better use of the substance when tomatoes have been cooked than they are eaten raw).  Among the many mechanisms of action responsible for lycopene’s protective effects is its capacity to act as a free radical scavenger.
Cohen 151.
 
One study demonstrated a correlation between decreased incidence of prostate cancer and higher levels of lycopene.
“Free Radical Scavenger Effects of Lycopene,” Cancer Epidemiology: Biomarkers and Prevention 10 (July 2001).

Alpha-tocopherol and lycopene combined might interrupt signal transduction pathways that lead to cell proliferation.  Prostate cell lines have been shown to be most affected by these two supplements combined.  At physiological concentrations of less than 1 micromole of lycopene and 50 micromoles of alpha-tocopherol, these cancer-fighting effects were seen.  This is a defense mechanism that is not related to the antioxidant effects of both compounds; instead, it is a synergistic effect that occurs when both compounds are taken together.
“Lycopene and Its Association with Alpha-Tocopherol,” Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (1998). 

   Modified citrus pectin is a citrus fruit plant fiber that prevents cancer cells from adhering to structures in the body.  Specifically, when given as an oral supplement, it has been found to inhibit the agglomeration of cancer cells to each other.  In addition, it inhibits the attachment of cancer cells to organs in the body.  This is therefore a useful therapy for people in the pre-metastasis stages.
Journal of the National Cancer Institute 87 (March 1995). 
 
 Andrographis paniculata, an herb used in Asian medicine, prevents the development of tumors by counteracting interference of toxic agents with the normal cell cycle.  Cancer cells are often cells that different types of damage (such as radiation) prevent from maturing normally.  The more immature (undifferentiated) the cells are, the more serious the prognosis is.  By encouraging cells to develop normally, Andrographis has a preventative role for any cancer.  The active ingredients responsible for this effect are called andrographolides, and much research still needs to be done to characterize fully their cancer-preventing effects.
Barilla, Jean, “Andrographis Paniculata,” Better Nutrition 61.6 (June 1999).

 In a case-control study involving 320 patients with prostate cancer and 246 patients in a control group, the incidence of prostate cancer was correlated with a diet high in dairy products and polyunsaturated fats, while subjects in the study who regularly took a vitamin E supplement and consumed a large amount of tomatoes were less likely to develop prostate cancer.
The Journal of Urology 166 (September 2001): 1185-9. 

In 13 men with prostate cancer, a diet high in fiber and low in saturated fats and animal products resulted in a decreased amount of free active testosterone (compared with levels measured before these dietary changes), which resulted in a decrease of prostate cancer cell growth.
The Journal of Urology 166 (September 2001): 1185-9. 

An inhibition of growth in transplanted tumor cells was seen in animals fed a diet low in saturated fat and high in omega-3 fatty acid-containing foods.
Urology 50.6 (1997).

Repeated evidence suggests that a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains may decrease the growth of prostate cancer cells.
Health Science, Winter 2002.

 Serenoa repens (saw palmetto) is the herb most often used in the botanical treatment of prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and lower urinary tract conditions.
Most studies on saw palmetto focus on its use in men with a wide range of lower urinary tract conditions, not just prostate cancer.  However, its beneficial effects on urinary tract health in general are probably a part of its role in preventing prostate cancer.  For information on saw palmetto as a treatment for lower urinary tract symptoms, see the other articles cited in this section, as well as Gerber, G.S., Kuznetsov, D., Johnson, B.C., and Burstein, J.D., “Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Saw Palmetto in Men with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms,” Urology 58.6 (December 2001): 960-5.  For more discussion of saw palmetto and benign prostatic hyperplasia, see Wilt, T., Ishani, A., and MacDonald, R., “Serenoa Repens for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia,” Cochrane Database Systems Review 3 (2002): CD001423.  A comparative study on the efficacy of various plant medicines mentioned in this section, including saw palmetto and South African star grass, is Wilt, T.J., Ishani, A., Rutks, I., and MacDonald, R., “Phytotherapy for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia,” Public Health and Nutrition 3.4A (December 2000): 459-72.

Taking saw palmetto reduces the size of hypertrophic prostate glands, sometimes by as much as 41%.
Fagelman, Elliot and Lowe, Franklin C., “Herbal Medications in the Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), Urologic Clinics of North America 29.1 (February 2002) 

An increase in apoptosis is a benefit of taking saw palmetto, which can potentiate the effects of conventional anti-prostate-cancer drugs.
Fagelman and Lowe 2002.

Saw palmetto blocked the growth of prostate cancer cells in vitro and prevented the expression of inflammation-producing chemicals like COX-2.
Goldmann, W.H., Sharma, A.L., Currier, S.J., Johnston, P.D., Rana, A., and Sharma, C.P., “Saw Palmetto Berry Extract Inhibits Cell Growth and COX-2 Expression in Prostatic Cancer Cells,” Cell Biology International 25.11 (2001): 1117-24.

Saw palmetto is assumed to be involved in the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, a form of testosterone that promotes the growth of prostate cells and is thus implicated in the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia and perhaps prostate cancer.
Tilgner, Sharol, Herbal Medicine from the Heart of the Earth, Creswell: Wise Acres, 1999: 105.

 The active ingredient of Hypoxis rooperi, or South African star grass, is beta-sitosterol.  Sterols (such as beta-sitosterol’s analogue in animals, cholesterol) are the precursors of sex hormones, and they also help promote the integrity (and flexibility) of cell membranes.  Beta-sitosterol has been found to increase levels of transforming growth factor beta-1 in the cells of the prostate gland.  This chemical protects the prostate by encouraging cell differentiation and apoptosis.
Fagelman and Lowe 2002.

 Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) has long been valued for its diuretic effects (useful for men with benign prostatic hyperplasia), and it also has the capacity to inhibit prostate cancer cells from growing and dividing.  In one study, an extract of stinging nettle root was administered to a laboratory grown colony of LNCaP human prostate cancer cells.  After seven days, the herb extract had caused a significant reduction in the growth rate of the cells.
Konrad, L., Muller, H.H., Lenz, C., Laubinger, H., Aumuller, G., and Lichius, J.J., “Antiproliferative Effects on Human Prostate Cancer Cells by a Stinging Nettle Root (Urtica dioica) Extract,” Planta Medica 66.1 (February 2000): 44-7.
 
Stinging nettle modulates the binding of sex-hormone-binding globulin to its receptor on the membrane of human prostatic cells.  This activity is particularly helpful in preventing benign prostatic hyperplasia; it is not yet known whether it has a role in preventing the malignant growth of prostate cancer.
Hryb, D.J., Khan, M.S., Romas, N.A., and Rosner, W., “The Effect of Extracts of the Roots of the Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) on the Interaction of SHBG with its Receptor on Human Prostatic Membranes,” Planta Medica 61.1 (February 1995): 31-2.

When used in combination with sabal, another herb, urtica extract compared favorably to finasteride, the conventional drug of choice for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Sokeland, J., “Combined Sabal and Urtica Extract Compared with Finasteride in Men with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: Analysis of Prostate Volume and Therapeutic Outcome,” BJU International 86.4 (September 2000): 439-42.

 Zinc, a trace mineral essential in a variety of processes in the body, has been found to suppress the growth of prostate cancer cells (specifically the PC-3 type) by inhibiting aminopeptidase-N, a substance expressed abundantly on the membrane of PC-3 cells.  This enzyme degrades Type IV collagen (a component of some of the body’s connective tissues), which allows tumor cells to invade neighboring organs and structures.
Ishn, Kenichiru, Usui, Shigeyuki, Sugimura, Yoshiki, Yoshida, Sei, Hioki, Takuichi, Tatematsu, Masae, et al, “Aminopeptidase-N Regulated by Zinc in Human Prostate Participates in Tumor Cell Invasion,” International Journal of Cancer 92 (2001): 49-54.

Zinc can inhibit the cell cycle—the normal evolution of cell from growth to cell division, a process that cancer cells “hijack” in order to make a tumor grow—at two different points in the cycle, one being the mitosis (cell division) phase.
Neuhouser et al 17.

Prostate tissue normally accumulates a higher level of zinc than that in other tissues in the body.  However, in malignant prostate cells, the gland accumulates significantly less zinc than it normally would.  This reflects how the mutant cells are not capable of performing the functions of nonmalignant prostate cells, and indeed impede the remaining normal cells from performing usual functions.
Costello, Leslie C., Liu, Yiyan, Zou, Jing, and Franklin, Kenty, “Evidence for  Zinc Uptake Transporter in Human Prostate Cancer Cells, which is Regulated by Prolactin and Testosterone,” Journal of Biochemistry 274.25 (June 18, 2001): 17499-504.

Zinc is found in high levels in pumpkin seeds, spinach, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, string beans, and other dark green, leafy vegetables.
Thomas, J.A., “Diet, Micronutrients, and the Prostate Gland,” Nutrition Review 57.4 (April 1999): 95-103.

Bee pollen is a nutritional supplement that has long been believed to have anti-aging effects.  Research has demonstrated its usefulness in more specific terms: as an antioxidant and free radical scavenger and an anti-neoplastic agent, with positive effects on the prostate gland in particular.  In 1971, a research team at the University of Zagreb in the former Yugoslavia determined that bee pollen derived from Scotch pine contains trace amounts of hormone-like substances, including those that mimic estrogen, testosterone, epitestosterone, and androsterone. Other researchers postulate that the high zinc levels found in bee pollen may explain its positive contributions to prostate health.
Wade, Carlson, Bee Pollen and Your Health, Keats, 1978. 
 
Bee and flower pollen have been used in Europe for thirty years in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostatitis, with positive results.  She states that both flower and bee pollen contain concentrated forms of almost all known nutrients, vitamins, minerals, anti-inflammatory substances, and free-radical scavengers (anti-aging substances that help prevent cellular damage that can lead to the formation of tumors).  Pollen relaxes the sphincter muscle of the bladder, relieving the urinary symptoms associated with BPH and prostatitis.  Pollen is also a high-energy food and can correct states of generalized weakness.  Bee pollen is more effective as a treatment for prostatitis than for BPH, but is worth trying as a therapy for both conditions.
Urbaniak, Eva, ND, Healing Your Prostate, Harbor, 1999. 

A review of the literature on bee pollen summarizes various activities of this nutritious substance, including anti-neoplastic activity and free-radical scavenging.  M.G. Campos and colleagues outline a study in which a cyclic hydroxamic acid was isolated from a pollen extract and found to inhibit the growth of cancer cells in vitro.  It is this acid, they theorize, that is responsible for the relief of symptoms in patients with BPH.  Seventy-nine patients with BPH were treated with pollen extract and experienced a reduction in symptoms such as prostate volume and difficult urination.
Campos, M.G., Cunha, A., and Markham, K.R., “Bee-Pollen: Composition, Properties, and Applications,” Bee Products, Mizrahi and Lensky, eds., New York: Plenum, 1996: 93-100: 96.

The phenolic compounds present in bee pollen are responsible for the antioxidant properties of this unique substance.  In particular, derivatives of cinnamic acid are the most effective free-radical scavengers.
Campos et al 96-7.

Further research on chemical constituents of bee pollen has isolated a particular compound, FV-7 (or DIBOA, a cyclic hydroxamic acid), that inhibits the growth of DU145 cells, a prostate cancer cell line cultured in laboratories.  This beneficial property of bee pollen chemicals depends on the dose given: high doses had the most noticeable effects.
Habib, Fouad K., Ross, Margaret, Lewenstein, Ari, Zhang, Xin, and Jaton, Jean Claude, “Identification of a Prostate Inhibitory Substance in a Pollen Extract,” The Prostate 26 (1995): 133-9.
 
Though the mechanism of action is not yet known, there is some evidence that cucurmin has the capacity to decrease the potential of prostate cancer cells to multiply.  In one study, laboratory-grown prostate cancer cells (LNCaP and PC-3) were treated with cucurmin, and the spice diminished the cells’ capacity to proliferate by suppressing a variety of proteins involved in the proliferation process.
Nakamura, K., Yasunaga, Y., Segawa, T., Ko, D., Moul, JW, Srivastava, S., and Rhim, J.S., “Curcumin Down-Regulates AR Gene Expression and Activation in Prostate Cancer Cell Lines,” International Journal of Oncology 21.4 (October 2002): 825-30.

Curcumin induces apoptosis and inhibition of angiogenesis.
Dorai, T., Cao, YC, Dorai, B., Buttyan, R., and Katz, A.E., “Therapeutic Potential of Curcumin in Human Prostate Cancer III: Curcumin Inhibits Proliferation, Induces Apoptosis, and Inhibits Angiogenesis of LNCaP Prostate Cancer Cells in Vivo,” Prostate 47.4 (June 1, 2001): 293-303.

Curcumin has the ability to block the growth factor signaling pathways that allow tumors to expand via cellular growth and division. 
Dorai, T., Gehani, N., and Katz, A., “Therapeutic Potential of Curcumin in Human Prostate Cancer II: Curcumin Inhibits Tyrosine Kinase Activity of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor and Depletes the Protein,” Molecular Urology 4.1 (Spring 2000): 1-6.

Cancer-preventing properties of curcumin include its ability to block estrogen-mimicking chemicals and suppress the production of pro-inflammatory chemicals, such as LOX and COX.
Mitchell, Terri, “A Report on Cucurmin’s Anti-Cancer Effects,” Life Extension, July 2002: 26-30.

Eupatorium cannabium is a plant with an active ingredient that has a cytostatic effect.  Specifically, it prevents cell growth by damaging the DNA of cancer cells.  This is the kind of activity that conventional chemotherapy treatments also perform, on any rapidly dividing cell (which includes cancer cells, as well as some types of normal body cells.)  This cancer-killing behavior has been demonstrated in the laboratory, but not yet in clinical trials.
Woerdenbag, H.J., Lemstra, W., Malingre, Th.M, and Konings, A.W.T., “Enhanced Cytostatic Activity of the Sesquiterpine Lactone Eupatoriopicrin by Glutathione Depletion,” British Journal of Cancer 59 (1989): 68-75; Woerdenbag, Herman J., van der Linde, Joost C.C., Kampinga, Harrie H., Malingre, Theo M., and Konings, Antonius W.T., “Induction of DNA Damage in Ehrlich Ascites Tumour Cells by Exposure to Eupatoriopicrin,” Biochemical Pharmacology 38.14 (1989): 2279-2283.

 Flavonoids (quercetin, kaempherol) block the cellular growth phases of cancer cells, resulting in an inhibition of cancer cell proliferation.
Nutrition and Cancer 38 (2000). 

Flavonoids are simple and complex glycosides found in the aerial parts of all plants.  Individually, quercetin inhibits the expression of androgen receptors and tumor markers that are required for tumor cell growth. 
Carcinogenesis 22 (2001). 

 While many medicines, both pharmaceutical and botanical, are administered in small doses in order to minimize or avoid damage to the body (“side effects”), homeopathy is unique in its use of successively diluted doses of a medicinal substance, to the extent that, in some of the higher potencies, nothing is left of the original substance on a material level.  Though this concept continues to perplex conventional science, homeopathy has consistently demonstrated its efficacy after over two hundred years of use.
 A number of case studies recorded by homeopaths have demonstrated homeopathy’s efficacy at alleviating symptoms of conventional cancer treatment.  The medicines chosen for this purpose are often dilutions of the original treatment: for example, Radium bromatum is a remedy prescribed to counteract the damaging effects of radiation therapy on patients’ skin.  Cantharis and Fluoric acid are other remedies for these conditions.
Thompson, E. and Skassab, “Homeopathy in Cancer.”

Dr. A.U. Ramakrishnan prescribes Radium bromide for depletion of energy and burning sensations of the skin or organs after radiation therapy, as well as potentized X-ray to clean out damaging residues of X-ray treatment and to counteract any potential side effects.
Ramakrishnan, A.U., and Catherine R. Coulter, Homeopathic Approaches to Cancer: 168. 

 In addition to minimizing or eliminating the adverse effects of cancer treatment, homeopathic medicine can act in concert with those treatments.  Use of ultra-low doses of chemical carcinogens over a period of 3 to 24 months in conjunction with chemotherapy and other conventional treatments has had synergistic effects that produced complete remission of the cancer and consequent extension of patients’ lives.
Researchers have noted the success of using Arsenic trioxide (a potent carcinogen at material doses) as a treatment for cancer at homeopathic doses. When it was used in combination with conventional cancer treatments, they found an increase in the rate of differentiation of the cells, apoptosis, and degradation of oncogenic proteins in cancer cells. Moreover, the use of homeopathy in combination with conventional treatment produced none of the adverse effects associated with conventional treatment alone, such as toxicity or the appearance of secondary malignancies.
Montfort, H., “A New Homeopathic Approach to Neoplastic Diseases: From Cell Destruction to Carcinogen-Induced Apoptosis,” British Homeopathic Journal 89 (2000): 78-83.

Dr. Robin Murphy describes various preparations of cadmium (a heavy metal and carcinogen at larger doses than those of homeopathic medicines) as effective treatments for cancer.  Preparations include Cadmium arsenicum, Cadmium iodinum, Cadmium metallicum, and Cadmium sulphuricum, powerfully curative substances that, as Dr. Murphy has seen in over 50 years of experience, can be helpful even in advanced cases.
Murphy, Robin, ND, Homeopathic Medicine and Cancer: the Philosophy and Clinical Experiences of Dr. A.H. Grimmer, MD: 37, 81.