PC-SPES (PDQ®)
Cancer Information Summaries « English « Patients « P
Overview
- PC-SPES is a mixture of 8 herbs that was sold as a dietary supplement to keep the prostate healthy (see Question 1 ).
- Some batches of PC-SPES were found to contain prescription medicines. It was taken off the market and is no longer being made (see Question 1 ).
- Herbs in PC-SPES have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for many health problems, including prostate problems, for hundreds of years (see Question 2 ).
- The herbs used in PC-SPES have been reported to help keep cancer cells from growing or help prevent cell damage that can lead to cancer (see Question 3 ).
- Laboratory and animal studies suggested that PC-SPES might slow the growth of prostate cancer cells, but it is not known if these results were caused by the herbs in PC-SPES, prescription medicines that were found in the mixture, or both (see Question 5 ).
- Clinical trials suggested that PC-SPES lowers PSA (prostate specific antigen) and testosterone levels in humans and has some anticancer effects. It is not known if these results were caused by the herbs in PC-SPES, prescription medicines that were found in the mixture, or both (see Question 6 ).
- The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine plans to do clinical trials of PC-SPES once a standard product is available (see Question 6 ).
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved PC-SPES for use in cancer treatment (see Question 8 ).
This record was last updated on September 21st, 2007.
About the PDQ Cancer Information Summaries from the National Cancer Institute
PDQ (Physician Data Query) is a comprehensive cancer database published by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It contains peer-reviewed summaries on cancer treatment, screening, prevention, genetics, and supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine; a registry of cancer clinical trials; and directories of physicians, professionals who provide genetics services, and organizations that provide cancer care.
The PDQ Cancer Information Summaries are peer reviewed and updated monthly by six editorial boards comprised of specialists in adult treatment, pediatric treatment, supportive care, screening and prevention, genetics, and complementary and alternative medicine. The Boards review current literature from more than 70 biomedical journals, evaluate its relevance, and synthesize it into clear summaries. Many of the summaries are also available in Spanish.
Linked medical terms appearing on this page are added by Healia to help readers find more information and are not part of the original PDQ document.