A new review published in Molecules takes a look at garlic, which is one of the oldest medicinal foods, and examines its influence on cancer biology. Garlic contains dozens of plant compounds, including quercetin, caffeic acid, ferulic acid and gallic acid, which are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. In laboratory studies, many of these polyphenols slow the growth of cancer cells and interfere with pathways that tumors rely on for survival and metastasis.

The overall pattern suggests that garlic’s benefits may come from the combined activity of many compounds rather than a single “active ingredient.” Regular dietary intake appears to support antioxidant defenses and metabolic health, while laboratory models continue to explore how these same molecules may interfere with cancer-related signaling pathways. Once again, we are seeing benefits of the Mediterranean diet!

A new scoping review in Current Oncology looked at a question many men eventually face after PCa treatment: what happens to quality of life years after hormone therapy? Researchers reviewed studies of men who survived at least five years after diagnosis and found a consistent pattern. Compared with men treated with local therapies such as surgery or radiation, those who received hormone therapy generally reported worse overall health status, lower physical functioning, reduced energy and more limitations in daily activities. Fatigue, sleep problems and other symptoms were also more common in the hormone therapy group.

Long-term survivors who had hormone therapy reported more bowel and urinary problems, greater sexual dysfunction and more treatment-related symptoms than men who did not receive hormone therapy. Some studies followed men for up to 15 years and still found persistent differences in physical wellbeing and sexual function. Interestingly, depression and anxiety were not consistently higher, but men receiving hormone therapy did report lower masculine self-esteem in some studies.

One of the major challenges in PCa care is that our diagnostic tools still leave a lot of uncertainty. A recent review in Translational Oncology examines the growing field of PCa biomarkers and how they might improve detection, risk assessment and treatment decisions. For decades, screening has relied heavily on PSA testing and digital rectal examination. Both have limitations.

Researchers are now exploring a wide range of newer biomarkers that may offer more precise information about a patient’s risk. Some are genetic, such as BRCA1 & BRCA2 mutations, which can identify men at higher hereditary risk. Blood-based and urine-based tests, circulating tumor DNA and circulating tumor cells are also under investigation as ways to detect cancer earlier and monitor how it evolves during treatment.

The authors emphasize that translating biomarkers into everyday clinical practice remains challenging. Testing can be expensive and evidence showing that these tests actually improve patient outcomes is still limited. Precision medicine is clearly moving in this direction, but the field is still sorting out which biomarkers genuinely add value beyond the tools we already have.

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) remains one of the most effective treatments for advanced PCa, but it often comes with metabolic side effects. A recent systematic review in JNCI Cancer Spectrum examined whether diet and nutrition can help reduce some of these problems. Looking at randomized clinical trials from the past decade, the researchers found that lifestyle programs like Mediterranean-style diets, low-carbohydrate diets and exercise can improve insulin resistance, body weight and other cardiovascular risk factors associated with hormone therapy.

Several studies also reported improvements in body composition and overall wellbeing when diet and physical activity were combined. Participants in these programs often saw reductions in waist circumference and fat mass, both markers of metabolic syndrome. In contrast, supplements such as creatine or whey protein did not consistently increase lean muscle mass in men receiving ADT, likely because the low-testosterone environment makes muscle growth more difficult.

The takeaway is encouraging: the metabolic effects of hormone therapy are not inevitable, and targeted lifestyle changes can help counter many of them.

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) has been used in traditional medicine for centuries, but modern research is beginning to clarify why it may have such broad biological effects. A recent review in Food Safety and Health summarizes the diverse phytochemicals found in American ginseng, including more than 200 bioactive components in total. These compounds appear to work together to produce a wide range of biological effects, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immune-modulating and metabolic benefits.

Laboratory studies suggest that some beneficial phytochemicals in ginseng may also have anti-cancer activity. For example, certain compounds have been shown to inhibit the growth of PCa cells. Other studies highlight potential benefits in metabolic health, including improved glucose regulation and reduced oxidative stress. The authors caution, however, that much of the evidence remains preclinical and that better clinical studies are needed to determine how these compounds translate into real-world health outcomes.