Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Paper
  • Published:

PC-SPES: a herbal therapy for the treatment of hormone refractory prostate cancer

Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases volume 5, pages 13–15 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

In this review the authors consider the commercially available herbal product PC-SPES. This is a combination of eight different herbs marketed for its effects of reducing prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels, improving pain, and enhancing the quality of life of those with hormone refractory prostate cancer. The evidence for these claims does not appear to be as conclusive as reported by the manufactures of this product. There also appears to be a significant risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in those treated with PC-SPES. There have been 116 clinical and laboratory based studies of PC-SPES published to date, but there have been no randomised controlled trials conducted. Many of these studies contain very few patients, thus making the drawing of conclusions difficult. Despite this lack of information, there still remains a large patient group taking this supplement, therefore caution should be advised in the usage of PC-SPES in the treatment of hormone refractory prostate cancer.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Landis SH et al.. Cancer statistics 1999. CA Cancer J Clin 1999 49: 6–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Klein LA. . Prostatic carcinoma. New Engl J Med 1979 300: 824–833.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Parker SL et al.. Cancer statistics 1997. CA Cancer J Clin 1997 47: 5–27.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Ross RK, Henderson BE. . Do diet and androgens alter prostate cancer risk via a common aetiologic pathway? J Natl Cancer Inst 1994 86: 252–254.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Eisenberg DM et al.. Unconventional medicine in the United States. Prevalence, costs and patterns of use. New Engl J Med 1993 328: 246–252.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Carraro JC et al.. Comparison of phytotherapy with finasteride in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: a randomised international study of 1098 patients. Prostate 1996 29: 231–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Volz HP. . Controlled clinical trials of hypericum extracts in depressed patients—an overview. Pharmacopsychiatry 1997 30: Suppl 2 72–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Halicka HD et al.. Apoptosis and cell cycle effects induced by extracts of the Chinese herbal preparation PC-SPES. Int J Oncol 1997 11: 437–441.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Kellis JT, Vickery LE. . Inhibition of human oestrogen synthetase (aromatase) by flavones. Science 1984 225: 1032–1034.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Agarwal R, Wang ZY, Mukhtar H. . Inhibition of mouse skin tumour initiating activity of DMBA by chronic oral feeding of glycyrrhizin in drinking water. Nutr Cancer 1991 15: 187–193.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Smith RE, Donachie AM, Mowat AM. . Immune stimulating complexes as mucosal vaccines. Immunol Cell Biol 1998 76: 263–269.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Wang SY et al.. The anti tumour effect of Ganoderma lucidum is mediated by cytokines released from activated macrophages and T-lymphocytes. Int J Cancer 1997 70: 699–705.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Wilt TJ et al.. Saw palmetto extracts for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: a systematic review. JAMA 1998 280: 1604–1609.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Nagao Y et al.. Antitumour activity of Rabdosia and Teucrium diterpenoids against P 338 lymphocytic leukaemia in mice. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 1982 30: 727–729.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Small EJ et al.. Prospective trial of the herbal supplement PC-SPES in patients with progressive prostate cancer. J Clin Oncol 2000 18: 3595–3603.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. De la Teille A et al.. Effects of a phytherapeutic agent, PC-SPES, on prostate cancer: a preliminary investigation on human cell lines and patients. BJU Int 1999 84: 845–850.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. De la Teille A et al.. Herbal therapy PC-SPES: in vitro effects and evaluation of its efficacy in 69 patients with prostate cancer. J Urol 2000 164: 1229–1234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Pfeifer BL, Pirani JF, Hamann SR, Klippel KF. . PC-SPES, a dietary supplement for the treatment of refractory prostate cancer. BJU Int 2000 85: 481–485.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. DiPaola RS et al.. Clinical and biologic activity of an oestrogenic herbal combination (PC-SPES) in prostate cancer. New Engl J Med 1998 339: 785–791.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Heish T, Chen S, Wang X, Wu J. . Regulation of androgen receptor and prostate specific antigen expression in the androgen responsive human prostate LNCaP cells by ethanolic extracts of the Chinese herbal preparation, PC-SPES. Biochem Mol Biol Int 1997 42: 535–539.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Heish T et al.. Induction of apoptosis and down regulation of bcl-6 in Mutu I cells treated with ethanolic extracts of the Chinese herbal supplement PC-SPES. Int J Oncol 1998 13: 1199–1203.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bristol Urological Institute, Southmead Hospital, Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, UK

    J-P Meyer & D A Gillatt

Authors
  1. J-P Meyer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. D A Gillatt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J-P Meyer.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Meyer, JP., Gillatt, D. PC-SPES: a herbal therapy for the treatment of hormone refractory prostate cancer. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis 5, 13–15 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.pcan.4500563

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.pcan.4500563

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links