Your Health

New Study From Columbia University Gives Hope To Men With Prostate Cancer

Posted 7/29/2010

From fruit peel to cancer fighter.

(NAPSI) - Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in men, and one in six will get prostate cancer during his lifetime. With nearly 200,000 new cases reported a year, there is fresh hope found within the pith of citrus fruit peels, according to a study from New York's Columbia University.

The results of this study, as reported by lead researcher Dr. Aaron Katz in the online-first publication of Integrative Cancer Therapies, demonstrate that modified citrus pectin (MCP) can inhibit prostate cancer cell growth and even induce cell death in all prostate cancer cell lines tested, including the aggressive androgen-independent form of the disease. The study also supports the results of previous research on MCP, which showed clinical benefits in patients with recurring prostate cancer and those with advanced solid tumors of multiple cancer types.

Modified citrus pectin is derived from the pith of citrus fruit. The MCP studied at Columbia University has undergone enzymatic modification so that it meets specific molecular chain and weight characteristics (www.modifiedcitruspectin.org).

"Our findings clearly demonstrate that MCP possesses anti-prostate cancer properties in both androgen-dependent [hormonal sensitive] and androgen-independent [hormonal-resistant] prostate cancer cells. These results strongly suggest that MCP can be a promising chemopreventive and therapeutic agent against this malignancy," says lead author Dr. Jun Yan. "We speculate that the specific type of MCP used in this research may be absorbed more easily into the human body, meaning that a higher concentration of MCP may reach the prostate gland."

Scientific data suggests that MCP interferes with the binding properties of cancer cell surface proteins called galectins. This prevents the cancer cells from adhering to each other and growing elsewhere in the body (metastasis). MCP additionally blocks the surfaces of cancer cells from attracting blood vessels (angiogenesis), essentially starving the cells.

"The anti-metastatic role of MCP is well established," says Dr. Isaac Eliaz, whom the authors of the study acknowledge for his development of the specific MCP in the research (www.dreliaz.org). "The fact that it can have a direct effect on the cancer itself makes it important in prevention, in early stage prostate cancer, and into advanced prostate cancer. Its safety and the fact that it doesn't work via hormonal-induced mechanisms of action make it an excellent agent to be used in conjunction with other therapies."

Ongoing research on this MCP continues to show encouraging results in prostate as well as breast cancer, and additional studies are forthcoming.

You can learn more about the multiple health benefits of MCP at www.modifiedcitruspectin.org.

About Dr. Isaac Eliaz:

Dr. Isaac Eliaz is a respected author, lecturer, researcher, product formulator and clinical practitioner. He's been a pioneer in integrative medicine since the early 1980s.

Source: Integrative Cancer Therapies

Yan J, Katz AE. PectaSol-C Modified Citrus Pectin Induces Apoptosis and Inhibition of Proliferation in Human and Mouse Androgen-Dependent and Independent Prostate Cancer Cells. Integr Cancer Ther. 2010. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20462856?dopt=Abstractplus