Noscapine Can be Used for Prostate Cancer Natural Treatment.

Noscapine is an alkaloid occurring in opium that suppresses the cough reflex and is used as an antitussive. Noscapine is currently under investigation for use in the treatment of several cancers and hypoxic ischemia in stroke patients. In cancer treatment, noscapine appears to interfere with microtubule function, and thus the division of cancer cells in a way similar to the taxanes. Early studies in treatment of prostate cancer are very promising.


Anti-Cancer Drugs from Plants

Cancer, one of the most dreaded diseases, continues to spread with increasing incidence. Statisticians estimate that over 10 million new cases of cancer appeared worldwide, with over 6 million deaths in the year 2000. Since 1990 cancer incidence and mortality have increased 22% based on information until 2003; the four most frequently occurring cancers are lung, breast, colorectal, and stomach, and the four most deadly comprise lung, stomach, liver, and colorectal cancers. Only cardiovascular disease surpasses cancer, the second leading cause of death in the United States.

Of all available anti-cancer drugs developed from 1940 to 2002, 40% were natural products or natural-product-derived with another 8% considered natural-product mimics. Plant anti-cancer agents currently in clinical use can be categorised into four main classes of compounds: vinca (or Catharanthus) alkaloids, epipodophyllotoxins, taxanes, and camptothecins. Taxanes and camptothecins alone accounted for approximately one-third of the global anti-cancer market in 2002, with a market value of over US$2.75 billion. Noscapine is a natural non-toxic chemical derived from the poppy plant.

A study just published in the December issue of the European medical journal Anticancer Research demonstrates for the first time a naturally-occurring substance used as a cough suppressant for over fifty years may be useful in treating advanced prostate cancer. Researchers from the Prostate Cancer Research and Educational Foundation, the MedInsight Research Institute, and the University of California in San Diego found that noscapine, a non-addictive derivative of opium, reduced tumor growth in mice by 60%. What's more, it halted the spread of tumors by 65% and caused no harmful side effects.

Although noscapine is only approved for use in many countries as a cough suppressant, physicians can and do sometimes prescribe it for other uses -- this is a common practice known as "off-label" prescription. Increasingly, in fact, noscapine has been tried off-label to treat several forms of cancer. Dr. Israel Barken, founder and medical director of the Prostate Cancer Research and Educational Foundation in San Diego, used noscapine to successfully treat several prostate cancer patients before he retired from clinical practice. He was so encouraged by the results that his prostate cancer foundation funded the study reported in Anticancer Research .

Moshe Rogosnitzky, director of research at MedInsight Research Institute in San Diego and one of the study's co-investigators, explained in a statement to the media that noscapine appears to have several advantages as a treatment for prostate cancer. "Noscapine is effective without the unpleasant side effects associated with other common prostate cancer treatments. Because noscapine has been used as a cough-suppressant for nearly half a century, it already has an extensive safety record. This pre-clinical study shows that the dose used to effectively treat prostate cancer in the animal model was also safe," he stated.

Other study also show, noscapine was found to have “potent anti-tumour activity” against human breast and bladder cancer implanted into rats. It has also been shown to kill glioblastoma, melanoma, and taxane-resistant ovarian cancer.

Latest Treatment on Prostate Cancer by Cryosugery

You Can Beat Prostate Cancer. Prostate cancer, one of the leading causes of deaths in men, is common to males across the globe especially to the elderly.

Several doctors conducted a study and is still continuing to study to find the latest treatment on prostate cancer and they all agree that the treatment depends on the stage on the said cancer in a particular person. There are four (I-IV) stages of prostate cancer. The one which is easy to cure of course is Stage I because as prostate cancer progresses, the cancer cells grow within the prostate, then it grows even to the outer layer of the prostate into the nearby tissue, and finally to the lymph nodes or other parts of the body.

Since there is no early prostate cancer warning signs, usually this cancer is accidentally found during surgery for other causes. It cannot even be recognized during rectal examination and is not visible by imaging or x-ray. One helpful aid of treating prostate cancer is the use of Gleason staging system. This system is used to evaluate the prognosis of men with prostate cancer. It is incorporated into a strategy of prostate cancer staging. This predicts prognosis and aids as a guide therapy. The score depends on the stage which the cancer is categorized. Moreover, the score is based upon the microscopic appearance.

In a capsule, these are brachytherapy, chemotherapy, cryosurgery, cryotheraphy, hormone therapy, adiation therapy, prostatectomy, and watchful waiting.Each of this however has side effects but it is up to the patient's doctor to advise which is advantageous on the part of the patient and the patient's immediate family. The earlier the signs of prostate cancer in men are detected the better. For a simple reason that the earlier it is diagnosed the easier the medical process is undergone and the later it is known the more complex the treatment becomes.

Cryosurgery is the latest treatment on Prostate Cancer. Cryosurgery, or cryoablation, is a process that uses extremely cold temperatures to treat and destroy cancer cells in the body. We use a specialized needle that looks very much like a small knitting needle, and under ultrasound guidance, we place that needle through the skin and into the tumor. We then circulate a gas, in this case argon, through the needle, which drops the temperature to approximately –140 to –150 degrees centigrade. We may need to use four to eight needles in order to generate an ice ball that is specific to the size of the prostate we’re treating. But there are no incisions, no real cuts. There are only small needle holes.

Recovery is typically faster. Another potential advantage is that cryoablation may have a lower risk of urinary incontinence and rectal side effects.

Cryoablation does have a higher rate of erectile dysfunction. But, for the man who already has decreased erectile function, which many of these men have, there is a definite benefit to cryoablation. Cryoablation is also a procedure that can be repeated, if necessary.

Soybeans contain isoflavones or plant estrogens which mimic the estrogens in your body. Soy isoflavones reduces male hormone levels, delays the growth of cancerous cells and kills tumor. These may prevent prostate cancer from occurring. If you dislike soy foods, think about adding soy protein powder to your diet.