Dear Dr. Espinosa. My father-in-law, Fernando, is dying of prostate cancer. He is 91 years old, was diagnosed about 3 months ago and the doctor said he has 2-6 months left of life. He lives in Central America and the family we have overthere has not been able to obtain information we need from his doctor about the en-of-life cycle. We are deeply concerned at the same time that we are already grieving and managing his care. Fernando is in bed, unable to get up, barely able to move, refuses to eat or drink more than a couple of small bites or a sip of water. And now, he has not passed stools for about 3 days. He is responsive, but appears to have no energy and complains a lot of pain. His cancer is at a “final” stage; is has metastasized to the sacral spine and the bladder. What we are desperate to know is what we can expect as he dies of cancer. What changes will his body go through? Will pain increase? Will he eventually stop speaking? Will he lose consciousness/will he be able to hear us/understand us? Is it normal for him to lose the ability to pass stools? We have searched and searched everywhere – books, the interned, asked doctors – and no one can explain any of this to us. Any information you can share will be deeply appreciated. Yours truly, Ceci Martinez

Usually, in end stage of cancer there is nothing alternative that can help. Of course, you want to keep him well hydrated and perhaps give him some fiber like metamucil ( or something like it). Palliative care to decrease pain and discomfort would be best for him. It sounds like he is ready to move on and you and the rest of the family should embrace that. The goal is for the transition to be as smooth and painless as possible. I hope this helps.

Ask Dr. Espinosa

Geo Espinosa, N.D., L.Ac, CNS, RH (AHG) is the Director of the Integrative Urological Center at New York University Langone Medical Center. Before joining NYU, Dr. Espinosa was a clinician, researcher and director of clinical trials at the Center for Holistic Urology at Columbia University Medical Center. He is a licensed naturopathic doctor, licensed acupuncturist, a Certified Nutrition Specialist and a Registered Herbalist. Dr. Espinosa is an author of the naturopathic entry in 1000 Cures for 200 ailments, by Harper Collins; March 2007 and “Prostate cancer – Nutrients that may slow its progression,” Food and Nutrients in Disease Management - Maryland: Cadmus Publishing, 2009.

Ask Dr. Myers

Medical oncologist and prostate cancer survivor, Dr Charles "Snuffy" Myers was a key player in creating AZT, Suranim, and Phenylacetate while working at the National Institute of Health. With over 250 research papers published, Myers is one of the leading developers of today's prostate cancer canon on both the research and treatment side of the test tube. Former Cancer Director at the University of Virginia, Myers opened the American Institute for Diseases of the Prostate in 2002 to provide men with the kind of comprehensive care that saved his own life. Dr. Myers has long been popular among prostate cancer patients as a speaker because of his ability to explain science and medicine in easy-to-understand language.

Ask Dr. Latini

Dr. Latini welcomes your questions about the psycho-social dimensions of Prostate Cancer, particularly those presented by Gay and Bisexual men. Dr. Latini is an assistant professor of urology at Baylor College of Medicine. Before joining Baylor, he spent six years in the Department of Urology at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Latini is a clinical health psychologist whose work concentrates on cancer survivorship and symptom management for persons living with genitourinary cancer.