Prostate cancer breakthrough: Overstated and premature

William Aiken, Contributor

There is not a Jamaican of goodwill anywhere who would not wish to see the incidence of prostate cancer reduced or eliminated or wish ill of anyone who undertook an enterprise with such a lofty objective, as prostate cancer is known to be the number-one cause of cancer-related deaths in Jamaican men.

It is on this background that the headline news of a 'Prostate cancer breakthrough' by Dr Henry Lowe who unveiled a "formula that can eliminate deadly disease" carried by the Jamaica Observer on Friday, December 3, would be welcomed by most persons.

The urological community, however, is sceptical of these claims and believe the facts at this point in time have been overstated and the announcement to be premature. The scientific discovery, development and subsequent marketing of a chemical agent claiming to have therapeutic efficacy is not a private affair but one that is subject to rigorous public scientific scrutiny at scientific meetings and in peer-reviewed academic journals where hard evidence of scientific evaluation of efficacy and side effects of the agent is objectively presented and critically assessed. A paucity or lack of evidence of a chemical agent undergoing this rigorous process of critical evaluation serves as a red flag for possible ineffectiveness in humans or even worse - a potential source of harm.

History is replete with examples of formulae claiming to be able to cure anything from cancer to HIV that were not subjected to rigorous scientific scrutiny that were subsequently proved to be ineffective at best or downright harmful at worst. In some instances, well-meaning persons with a good idea prematurely marketed their drug while in other instances unscrupulous persons wanting to make a quick dollar put useless products on the market.

There is a tremendous leap from a chemical agent demonstrating efficacy in inhibiting or killing cancer cells in a laboratory setting to extrapolating that benefit to human beings while at the same time demonstrating it does not cause harmful or deadly side effects that would preclude its use. So large is that leap that such assumptions are not accepted by medical scientists and therefore chemical agents demonstrating efficacy in the lab have to go through several phases of development and testing in human beings, a process lasting many years, before any such claims of efficacy in humans can be made or a drug brought to market.

There is no doubt that Jamaica, with its unique, rich and diverse flora and its strong tradition of folk medicine, has the potential to provide scientists and entrepreneurs with many opportunities for the successful discovery and exploration of active chemical agents demonstrating potential therapeutic efficacy in a variety of human diseases. In this regard, Dr Lowe should be congratulated in being the impetus behind the formation of a biotech institute which brings together the research capabilities of four of our nation's leading institutions in the quest to discover and develop anticancer agents.

I would caution Dr Lowe, however, that he should be more responsible in his pronouncements lest he give men and their loved ones the false assurance that he can eliminate prostate cancer or any other disease anytime in the foreseeable future.

Dr William D. Aiken is head of urology, University Hospital of the West Indies. Feedback may be sent to columns@gleanerjm.com