Treatment Discovered for Pancreatic Cancer - EDIT

Treatment Discovered for Pancreatic Cancer

By Barbara Minton

Substances found in green tea and high fiber foods have been found effective in the treatment and prevention of pancreatic cancer, an extremely virulent form of disease with few effective treatments. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., so any indication of an effective preventive and treatment is very good news.

A diagnosis of pancreatic cancer generally comes only in its late stages since there are few noticeable symptoms during the early stages. Patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer survive an average of only 10 months. 1 of every 36 men will contract the disease in their lifetimes. For women, the incidence is 1 of every 195.
 
Recent studies and results
 
Catechin, a phenol occurring in green tea, and inositol hexaphosphate (IP6), a compound found in high-fiber foods have been shown to prevent the growth of cancer cells when administered as single therapeutic agents against a number of cancers. In research done at West Virginia University in 2007, researchers hypothesized that alone and in combination, catechin and IP6 would be effective against pancreatic cancer. (1)
 
After studying pancreatic cancer cell lines treated with catechin, IP6, and a combination of the two, the programmed death of cells, known as apoptosis, was evaluated Findings indicated that the combination of catehin and IP6 significantly inhibited the proliferation of cell growth compared to each administered separately. In another cell line, growth was inhibited by each agent alone compared to controls. An increase in early apoptosis was attributed to catechin therapy in both cell lines, while the combination of these agents also increased early apoptotic activity. Vascular endothelial growth was reduced by IP6 in both cell lines compared to controls.
 
The researchers concluded the results, combined with the prevalence of these compounds in safe, naturally occurring foods, make catechin and IP6 attractive therapies and preventatives for pancreatic cancer.
 
In 2008, researchers at the University of Texas Science Center studied the effects of the catechin epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) from green tea in a mouse model to examine the molecular mechanisms by which EGCG inhibites growth, invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis (creation of blood supply) in grafted human pancreatic cancer cells. (2) They concluded that EGCG significantly reduced volume, proliferation, angiogenesis and metastasis, and induced apoptosis and growth arrest.
 
In early 2009, scientists from Metro Health Medical Center in Ohio identified the mechanisms by which EGCG induces growth arrest of pancreatic cancer cells at an early phase of the cell cycle. (3)
 
Later in 2009, researchers at Ohio State University studied the ability of EGCG to down regulate oncogenic proteins in pancreatic cancer cells. (4) They found that EGCG does indeed induce degradation of cancer promoting proteins, resulting in anti-proliferation.
 
Most recently, scientists from several institutions in Europe identified two other catechins from green tea, epicatechin gallate (ECG) and catechin gallate (CG) that exhibit potent and much stronger anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory activities on pancreatic cancer cells than that seen with EGCG. (5)
 
The catechins found in green tea are polyphenols belonging to the flavonoid family. They have also been shown to significantly reduce the risk of ovarian and colorectal cancer.  Along with their cancer fighting abilities, catechins are highly antioxidant and have antibacterial, antiviral, and other health enhancing properties.   Epigalloacatechin gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant and most studied catechin in green tea. It has been shown in tests to be able to penetrate the body’s cells and shield DNA. Significant amounts of catechins are also found in chocolate.
 
IP6 is a naturally occurring carbohydrate found in substantial amounts in whole grains, dried beans, nuts, seeds, rice, wheat germ and corn. It has been shown effective against a variety of cancers. In addition to the arresting of cell proliferation noted in the pancreatic cancer study, IP6 induces the differentiation of malignant cells. The more differentiated the malignant cells, the less aggressive and dangerous is the cancer. IP6 displays antioxidant and immunity enhancing properties which also contribute to tumor cell destruction.
 
Drinking two or three cups of green tea a day is the best way to provide the full range of its catechins. Supplements of whole leaf green tea are also available, as are extracts of ECGC. Supplemental IP6 is also available from health stores and online.
 
(1) Dietary influence on pancreatic cancer growth by catechin and inositol hexaphosphate. McMillan B, Riggs DR, Jackson BJ, Cunningham C, McFadden DW. J Surg Res. 2007 Jul;141 91):115-9.
 
(2) EGCG inhibits growth, invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis of pancreatic cancer. Shanker S, Ganapathy S, Hingorani SR, Srivastava RK. Front Biosci. 2008 Jan 2;13:440-52.
 
(3) Combinatorial effect of epigallocatechin-3-gallate and TRAIL on pancreatic cancer cell death. Basu A, Haldar S. Int J Oncol. 2009 Jan;34(1):281-6.
 
(4) Epigallocatechin-3-gallate inhibits Hsp90 function by impairing Hsp90 association with cochaperones in pancreatic cancer cell line Mia Paca-2. Li Y, Zhang T, Jiang Y, Lee HF, Schwartz SJ, Sun D. Mol Pharm. 2009 Jul-Aug;6(4):1152-9.
 
(5) Eppicatchin gallate and catechin gallate are superior to epigallocatechin gallate in growth suppression and anti-inflammatory activities in pancreatic tumor cells. Kurbitz C, Heise D, Redmer T, Goumas F. Arlt A, Lemke J, Rimbach G, Kalthoff H, Trauzold A.  Cancer Sci. 2011 Jan 17. doi: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2011.01870.x. [Epub ahead of print]

About The Author:

Barbara is a published author and the managing editor for AlignLife as well as a student of nature and all things natural.

Also see:

http://www.curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=986525#i

http://www.curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1608269#i

http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1491846#i