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Green Tea
may affect Prostate Cancer progression
Newswise
— According to results of a study published
in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of
the American Association for Cancer
Research, 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 (provided by Polyphenon
Pharma) may have the potential to lower the
incidence and slow the progression of
prostate cancer,” said James A. Cardelli,
Ph.D., professor and director of basic and
translational research in the Feist-Weiller
Cancer Center, LSU Health Sciences
Center-Shreveport.
Green tea is the second most popular drink
in the world, and some epidemiological
studies have shown health benefits with
green tea, including a reduced incidence of
prostate cancer, according to Cardelli.
However, some human trials have found
contradictory results. The few trials
conducted to date have evaluated the
clinical efficacy of green tea consumption
and few studies 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, according to Cardelli. The time of
study for 25 of the 26 patients ranged from
12 days to 73 days, with a median time of
34.5 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.
Cardelli and colleagues found that other
biomarkers were also positively affected.
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.
William G. Nelson, V., M.D., Ph.D.,
professor of oncology, urology and
pharmacology at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel
Cancer Center, believes the reduced serum
biomarkers of prostate cancer may be
attributable to some sort of benefit
relating to green tea components.
“Unfortunately, this trial was not a
randomized trial, which would have been
needed to be more sure that the observed
changes were truly attributable to the green
tea components and not to some other
lifestyle change (better diet, taking
vitamins, etc.) men undertook in preparation
for surgery,” added Nelson, who is also a
senior editor for Cancer Prevention
Research.
However,
“this trial is provocative enough to
consider a more substantial randomized
trial.”
In collaboration with Columbia University in
New York City, the researchers are currently
conducting a comparable trial among patients
with breast cancer.
They also plan to conduct further studies to
identify the factors that could explain why
some patients responded more dramatically to
Polyphenon E than others.
Cardelli suggested that additional
controlled clinical trials should be done to
see if combinations of different plant
polyphenols were more effective than
Polyphenon E alone.
“There is reasonably good evidence that many
cancers are preventable, and our studies
using plant-derived substances support the
idea that plant compounds found in a healthy
diet can play a role in preventing cancer
development and progression,” said Cardelli.
The mission of the American Association for
Cancer Research is to prevent and cure
cancer.
Founded in 1907, AACR is the world’s oldest
and largest professional organization
dedicated to advancing cancer research.
The membership includes more than 28,000
basic, translational and clinical
researchers; health care professionals; and
cancer survivors and advocates in the United
States and nearly 90 other countries.
The AACR marshals the full spectrum of
expertise from the cancer community to
accelerate progress in the prevention,
diagnosis and treatment of cancer through
high-quality scientific and educational
programs. It funds innovative, meritorious
research grants.
The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than
17,000 participants who share the latest
discoveries and developments in the field.
Special conferences throughout the year
present novel data across a wide variety of
topics in cancer research, treatment and
patient care.
The AACR publishes six major peer-reviewed
journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer
Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics;
Molecular Cancer Research; Cancer
Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention; and
Cancer Prevention Research.
The AACR also publishes CR, a magazine for
cancer survivors and their families, patient
advocates, physicians and scientists. CR
provides a forum for sharing essential,
evidence-based information and perspectives
on progress in cancer research, survivorship
and advocacy.
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