Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Phytotherapy Might Have a Role in Reducing Unnecessary Prostate Biopsies: Results From an Exploratory Randomized Controlled Trial of Two Different Phytotherapeutic Agents

Tommaso Cai
* ORCID logo ,
Irene Tamanini
,
Marco Puglisi
,
Leonardo Bizzotto
,
Michele Rizzo
,
Giovanni Liguori
,
Luca Gallelli
ORCID logo ,
Alessandro Palmieri
,
Truls E Bjerklund Johansen
ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 9 November 2023 / Approved: 10 November 2023 / Online: 10 November 2023 (11:40:44 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Cai, T.; Tamanini, I.; Puglisi, M.; Bizzotto, L.; Rizzo, M.; Liguori, G.; Gallelli, L.; Palmieri, A.; Bjerklund Johansen, T.E. Phytotherapy Might Have a Role in Reducing Unnecessary Prostate Biopsies: Results from an Exploratory, Randomized Controlled Trial of Two Different Phytotherapeutic Agents. Clinics and Practice 2024, 14, 188–197, doi:10.3390/clinpract14010016. Cai, T.; Tamanini, I.; Puglisi, M.; Bizzotto, L.; Rizzo, M.; Liguori, G.; Gallelli, L.; Palmieri, A.; Bjerklund Johansen, T.E. Phytotherapy Might Have a Role in Reducing Unnecessary Prostate Biopsies: Results from an Exploratory, Randomized Controlled Trial of Two Different Phytotherapeutic Agents. Clinics and Practice 2024, 14, 188–197, doi:10.3390/clinpract14010016.

Abstract

Background: We aimed to evaluate the impact of two different phytotherapeutic agents on the decision making regarding prostate biopsy in patients with higher-than-normal prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. Methods: From June 2022 to May 2023, all patients attending two urological institutions due to higher-than-normal PSA levels were randomized to receive either oral capsules of Curcuma Longa, Boswellia, Pinus pinaster and Urtica dioica (Group A) or Serenoa Repens 320 mg (Group B), for 3 months. At the follow-up visit after 3 months all patients underwent PSA test and multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI). Results: In the per-protocol analysis, data from 66 patients in Group A and 76 in Group B were analyzed. Fifty patients in Group A (75.7%) showed a significant reduction of total PSA compared to 49 in Group B (64.4%) (p<0.001). Twenty-eight patients had PI-RADS III or higher at mpMRI: 12 in Group A and 14 in Group B. Twenty-three patients (34.8%) in Group A underwent prostate biopsy based on mpMRI findings and PSA values and 59 (77.6%) in Group B (p<0.001). Three patients in Group A showed a significant reduction of total PSA value while having positive findings at mpMRI (6%) compared with 9 in Group B (19.5%) (p<0.001). On the contrary, 7 patients in Group A did not show a significant reduction of total PSA value and had negative findings at mpMRI (43%) compared to 22 in Group B (81.4%) (p&lt;0.001). Conclusions: In conclusion, a three-month course of a combination of Curcuma Longa, Boswellia, Pinus pinaster, and Urtica dioica seems an interesting tool to avoid unnecessary prostate biopsies in men with higher-than-normal PSA levels.

Keywords

prostate; prostate specific antigen; prostate biopsy; curcuma; serenoa repens; boswellia; pinus and urtica.

Subject

Medicine and Pharmacology, Urology and Nephrology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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