 |
||||
Not-so 'Green' News for Cancer Patients A new study finds mixed results for cancer patients using green tea as a method to decrease chemotherapy side effects 
As a supplement to any daily diet, green tea is great for the body. But according to a new study, the oft-used herbal remedy thought to combat the side effects of chemotherapy may actually be detrimental to cancer patients. Researchers at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, found that green tea extract (GTE) or EGCG may counter the effectiveness of the anticancer drug Velcade, used to treat multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma. Using tumor-bearing mice, the study found that Velcade molecules were able to form chemical bonds with EGCG molecules, meaning the Velcade could not combine with its intended target inside the tumor cells. "Our hypothesis was that GTE or EGCG would enhance the anti-tumor effects of Velcade, and that a combination of GTE with Velcade would turn out to be a superior cancer treatment as compared to treatment with Velcade alone," says lead author Axel H. Schönthal, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Keck School of Medicine at USC. "The most immediate conclusion from our study is the strong advice that patients undergoing cancer therapy with Velcade must avoid green tea, and in particular all of its concentrated products that are freely available from health food stores." While patients may currently use green tea as a supplement to reduce side effects of cancer treatment, the relief may be artificial. "Essentially, in addition to not being able to attack tumor cells, Velcade would be unable to cause side effects either," Schönthal says. "As a result, the patient would feel a lot better and conclude that the consumption of GTE helped cope with side effects, while in reality, Velcade simply wasn't active in the first place." |
||||
|
||||
