Green Tea: The Next Cancer Therapy?
Reported June 22, 2009
(Ivanhoe Newswire) According to a recent study, men with prostate cancer who consumed the active compounds in green tea demonstrated a significant reduction in serum markers predictive of prostate cancer progression.
“The investigational agent used in the trial, Polyphenon E, may have the potential to lower the incidence and slow the progression of prostate cancer,” James A. Cardelli, Ph.D., professor and director of basic and translational research in the Feist-Weiller Cancer Center, LSU Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, LA, was quoted as saying.
Few studies to date have evaluated the change in biomarkers, which might predict disease progression. Cardelli and colleagues conducted this open-label, single-arm, phase II clinical trial to determine the effects of short-term supplementation with green tea’s active compounds on serum biomarkers in patients with prostate cancer. The biomarkers include hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and prostate specific antigen (PSA). HGF and VEGF are good prognostic indicators of metastatic disease.
The study included 26 men, aged 41 to 72 years, diagnosed with prostate cancer and scheduled for radical prostatectomy. Patients consumed four capsules containing Polyphenon E until the day before surgery four capsules are equivalent to about 12 cups of normally brewed concentrated green tea. The time of study for 25 of the 26 patients ranged from 12 days to 73 days.
Findings showed a significant reduction in serum levels of HGF, VEGF and PSA after treatment, with some patients demonstrating reductions in levels of greater than 30 percent, according to the researchers. There were only a few reported side effects associated with this study, and liver function remained normal.
Results of a recent year-long clinical trial conduced by researchers in Italy demonstrated that consumption of green tea polyphenols reduced the risk of developing prostate cancer in men with high-grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN).
“These studies are just the beginning and a lot of work remains to be done; however, we think that the use of tea polyphenols alone or in combination with other compounds currently used for cancer therapy should be explored as an approach to prevent cancer progression and recurrence,” Cardelli said.
In collaboration with Columbia University in New York City, researchers are currently conducting a comparable trial among patients with breast cancer.
SOURCE: Cancer Prevention Research, American Association for Cancer Research, June 19, 2009
