About Prostate Cancer
Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men. The American Cancer Society estimates about 333,830 new cases in the US in 2026, and about 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed during their lifetime. Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from it, especially when it's found early. The main conventional treatments are surgery, radiation and hormone therapy.
Symptoms of Prostate Cancer
Most men have no symptoms when they're diagnosed. The first sign is often an elevated PSA (prostate-specific antigen) level on a routine blood test, or a firm area the doctor feels during a digital rectal exam. As the disease advances, men may have trouble urinating, pelvic discomfort or blood in the semen. If the cancer spreads beyond the prostate, it often causes bone pain.
Diagnosis
- PSA test: A blood test that measures prostate-specific antigen. Elevated levels can point to prostate cancer, though other conditions can raise PSA too.
- MRI: Detailed imaging of the prostate and surrounding tissue, often used to decide whether a biopsy is needed and where to sample.
- Biopsy: Small samples of prostate tissue are examined under a microscope. A biopsy confirms the diagnosis and gives the Gleason score, which shows how aggressive the cancer is.
- Transrectal ultrasound: Uses sound waves to create an image of the prostate, usually to guide the biopsy.
- PSMA PET scan: A newer imaging test that can find prostate cancer that has spread beyond the prostate.
Common Side Effects of Treatment
Surgery and radiation can affect the nerves and muscles near the prostate, bladder and bowel. That can lead to erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, lower libido and infertility. Hormone therapy can also cause fatigue, hot flashes, bone loss and loss of muscle mass.
Conventional Treatments for Prostate Cancer
Surgery
- Radical prostatectomy: Removal of the entire prostate along with the seminal vesicles.
- Robotic or laparoscopic prostatectomy: A less invasive version of the same surgery, often with a shorter recovery.
- Bilateral orchiectomy: Removal of both testicles to stop the body's main source of testosterone, which fuels most prostate cancers.
Radiation Therapy
- External-beam radiation: The most common type, where a machine outside the body aims radiation at the prostate.
- Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT): A precise form of external-beam radiation that shapes and adjusts the intensity of each beam to target the tumor while sparing nearby tissue.
- Proton therapy: External-beam radiation that uses protons instead of X-rays.
- Brachytherapy: Internal radiation, where small radioactive sources are placed directly in the prostate.
Radiation can cause urinary urgency or frequency, sexual dysfunction, bowel problems and fatigue. These often improve after treatment ends, though some can be long-lasting.
Hormone Therapy
Most prostate cancers need testosterone to grow. Hormone therapy (androgen deprivation therapy) lowers testosterone or blocks its effect, and it's the backbone of treatment for advanced prostate cancer. When the cancer keeps growing despite low testosterone, it's called castration-resistant.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses drugs to destroy cancer cells by stopping them from growing and dividing. In advanced prostate cancer, it's usually given alongside hormone therapy and is managed by a medical oncologist.
Targeted Therapy Based on Your Cancer's Biology
ITI has access to the full range of targeted therapies used in prostate cancer, and our oncologist selects them case by case based on your pathology and genetic testing:
- Next-generation hormone therapy: Drugs that block testosterone signaling more completely, used in advanced and castration-resistant disease.
- PARP inhibitors: For men whose tumors carry BRCA or other DNA-repair mutations.
- Checkpoint inhibitors: For the smaller group of prostate cancers with specific genetic markers (MSI-high or mismatch repair deficient).
- PSMA-targeted radioligand therapy: For PSMA-positive metastatic disease, coordinated with a nuclear medicine center.
These are combined with our core autologous immunotherapy and integrative support to build one personalized plan.
Our Integrative Approach to Prostate Cancer
Autologous Immunotherapy
This treatment uses your own immune cells to fight cancer. The cells are collected, activated and then returned to your body to target and destroy cancer cells. Because it uses your own immune system, it often causes fewer side effects than conventional treatment.
Pharmacological Immunotherapy
This uses drugs to strengthen the immune system's ability to fight cancer, often by targeting specific pathways involved in cancer growth. It can improve the effectiveness of other treatments, help prevent recurrence, and may be used against cancers that resist other treatments.
Dendritic Enhancers
These treatments boost the function of dendritic cells, the immune cells that start the body's immune response against cancer. Better dendritic cell function helps the body recognize and attack cancer cells.
Heckel Hyperthermia
Heckel whole-body hyperthermia uses infrared heat to gently raise your core body temperature, making cancer cells more vulnerable to other treatments such as immunotherapy, chemotherapy and radiation. No sedation is needed.
Glutathione
A powerful antioxidant that helps protect healthy cells from damage during treatment and supports the liver in removing toxins from the body.
Personalized Nutrition
A nutrition plan built around each patient's needs, designed to maintain strength, keep the immune system functioning well and support the body during treatment.
Vitamin D IV
Vitamin D supports immune function and bone health, which matters for men on hormone therapy, since it can cause bone loss. It may also support the immune response to cancer.
Zinc
An essential mineral that supports immune function and wound healing, helping maintain overall health during treatment.
Melatonin
A hormone that regulates sleep and has antioxidant and immune-supporting properties. It can improve sleep quality during cancer treatment.
Curcumin
A compound found in turmeric with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. In laboratory studies, it has slowed the growth of several types of cancer cells.
Prostate Cancer Patient Stories
Each story describes one person's experience; individual results vary.
- Non-Invasive Prostate Cancer Treatment in Mexico: Hamilton's Story (case study)
- Prostate Cancer Treatment in Mexico: John's Second Visit to the Immunotherapy Institute (case study: rising PSA)
- Andrew Meister: Strengthening the Body to Fight Cancer (video testimonial), and Andrew's full case study
- A Cancer Researcher With Brain Mets Chose Immunotherapy First (case study: metastatic prostate cancer)