PC SPES

[Guest guest]

What follows was on page 10 of 21 Oct. Chicago Suntimes, a major daily

newspaper here in Chicago.

 

You can also find it at

<http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/herb21.html>

 

If the last sentence in the story isn't " letter to the editor " fodder, I

don't know what is.

 

Penel

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~a forward~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chinese herbs show success fighting cancer

 

October 21, 2000

 

BY SHARI ROAN

 

A centuries-old Chinese herbal remedy is showing striking results in

treating patients with advanced prostate cancer, even winning support

from doctors despite a lack of federal oversight.

 

The blend of eight herbs, used by an estimated 10,000 men and sold over

the counter, appears to reduce signs of tumor growth in patients who

have exhausted all conventional treatments, according to studies in two

well-regarded medical journals.

 

" I can't cite any other example in medicine where we've considered an

herbal compound in an end-stage cancer situation and where other

therapies have already failed, " said Dr. Aaron E. Katz, an associate

professor of urology at Columbia University College of Physicians and

Surgeons.

 

The new studies, including one by Katz, on the effect of the supplement

are almost certain to spark widespread demand. Almost 180,000 new cases

of prostate cancer are diagnosed each year in the United States, with

40,000 deaths.

 

The product's potency, and the likelihood that its use will grow,

sharply highlight the disparity between the heavy regulation that

traditional drugs undergo and the virtual absence of regulation of

supplements.

 

" We don't even know what the [supplement's] long-term side effects are, "

said Dr. Eric J. Small of the University of California, San Francisco,

co-author of the other new study of the product, sold as PC SPES.

 

" For [drugs], the United States has extremely stringent regulations that

are the envy of the world, " said Dr. Ian M. Thompson Jr., chief of

urology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

" But for something like this, we have no oversight. "

 

Accordingly, many unanswered questions about PC SPES remain: Whom is the

remedy best suited for? What dose is correct? How does it compare to

other treatments?

 

Physicians are also worried because the supplement carries the risk of

serious side effects. Most common are breast tenderness and enlargement

due to herbs that act like estrogen. But 2 percent to 4 percent of

patients also run the risk of blood clots, a potentially fatal problem,

the studies found.

 

Because of this risk, Katz and other doctors say the therapy should

generally be used only on patients who have not been helped by hormone

therapy.

 

" This is not for someone in an early stage, " Katz said. " We don't have

enough long-term follow up. "