Prostate cancer also known as carcinoma of the prostate is the development of cancer in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing, and the five year survival rate in the United States is 99%. Globally it is the second most common cause of cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death in men. In 2012 it occurred in 1.1 million men and caused 307,000 deaths. It was the most common cancer in males in 84 countries, occurring more commonly in the developed world.

The first decision to be made in managing prostate cancer is whether treatment is needed. Prostate cancer, especially low-grade forms found in the elderly, often grows so slowly that no treatment is required. Treatment may also be inappropriate if a person has other serious health problems or is not expected to live long enough for symptoms to appear. Which option is best depends on the stage of the disease, the Gleason score, and the PSA level. Other important factors are age, general health, and a person’s views about potential treatments and their possible side effects.

A research conducted in China disclosed that protopanaxadiol (PPD), a dammaran sapogenin extracted from ginseng, is able to effectively induce apoptosis of prostate cancers. In the study, two different types of prostate cancer cells (DU145 and PC3) were subject to PPD treatment, and the inhibitory effect was evaluated by special histological staining and DNA ladder. The study showed the half maximal inhibitory concentration of PPD for these two types of prostate cancer cells were 38.0μmol/L and 28.6μmol/L, respectively. A typical morphological change was observed in PPD treated cancer cells.

The finding provides a new treatment option for prostate cancer patients due to its non-toxic nature and anti-prostate cancer property.

The research was published on the Medical Journal of Communications 2010, 24(4).