Elsevier

Urology

Volume 63, Issue 2, February 2004, Pages 282-287
Urology

Adult urology
Use of complementary and alternative medicine in men with family history of prostate cancer: a pilot study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urology.2003.09.036Get rights and content

Abstract

Objectives

To describe the use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) among men with a family history of prostate cancer and to evaluate the relationship between selected sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics and the use of CAMs.

Methods

Unaffected brothers of men diagnosed with prostate cancer were asked to participate in a short computer-assisted telephone interview. The survey focused primarily on the use of different vitamins, herbal supplements, and medications, some of which are marketed for prostate health or prostate cancer prevention.

Results

A total of 111 men completed the survey, representing 66% of eligible study subjects. Of the 111 men, 61 (55%) reported currently taking some form of CAM, with 30% taking a vitamin or supplement purported to have prostate-specific benefits. The prevalence of CAM use generally increased with increasing age; however, men who were younger than their affected brother at the time of the diagnosis of prostate cancer were more likely to use CAMs than were older brothers.

Conclusions

Most men with a family history of prostate cancer take vitamins and supplements, some of which are believed to prevent future cancer occurrence. The results of this study and others provide some insight into the determinants of potentially beneficial health behaviors in high-risk individuals.

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Material and methods

The subjects were participants in the University of Michigan's Prostate Cancer Genetics Project, a large, family-based study of inherited forms of prostate cancer. The Prostate Cancer Genetics Project enrollment criteria included families with two or more living-affected family members in a first-degree or second-degree relationship and men with prostate cancer diagnosed at or younger than 55 years old. A complete family history of cancer of any type in first, second, and third-degree relatives

Results

By design, all 111 unaffected men in this study had at a minimum one living brother with prostate cancer. As a consequence of the sampling design of the Prostate Cancer Genetics Project, 47% of subjects had two or more affected first-degree relatives. The median age among study participants was 53 years (range 33 to 78). Approximately 86% of the respondents were married at the time of the interview. Most men reported having attended college, with nearly 30% having earned a postgraduate degree.

Comment

Our results suggest that a substantial proportion of men with a family history of prostate cancer are actively seeking ways to prevent disease occurrence outside of traditional medical interventions. Most subjects reported currently using CAMs, with nearly one third of these men using CAMs purported to have a beneficial impact on prostate health or to prevent the development of prostate cancer. With the exception of multivitamins, the most commonly used CAMs among subjects included saw

Conclusions

The results of our study suggest that men with a family history of prostate cancer are concerned about developing prostate cancer, which is reflected in their use of CAMs, particularly those that might afford some protection from developing the disease. Our results also indicate that, in general, CAM use increases with age, and, among men with a family history of prostate cancer in a close relative, their age in relation to the affected relative's age at diagnosis appears to be an important

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This work was supported by S.P.O.R.E. in prostate cancer P50 CA69568 and NIH grants CA79596 and T32 DK007758.

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