(04-02-13) Curcumin's ability to wage war on cancer stem cells further verified by research

by J. D. Heyes

(NaturalNews) Promising new research has demonstrated once again that the
ingredient curcumin, which is the principal curcuminoid of the widely used
Indian spice turmeric, a member of the ginger family, is a major cancer
fighter, this time proving effective against esophageal cancer.

According to researchers at the University of Kansas' Cancer Center and
Medical Center, study results indicate that "curcumin inhibits the growth of
esophageal cancer cell lines," though how it works "is not well understood."

The results of the study are especially noteworthy given that esophageal
cancer is the eighth most common type of cancer in the world and the sixth most
lethal.

This 'novel' cancer treatment works wonders

In the U.S. alone, between four and 10 persons for every 100,000 die from
esophageal cancer every year. The disease mostly strikes men over the age of
50, according to published statistics.

In 2011, the American Cancer Society estimated that 16,980 Americans (13,450
men and 3,530 women) were diagnosed with the disease. The organization also
estimated that a majority of those diagnosed with esophageal cancer - about
eight in 10 - would die.

"Esophageal adenocarcinoma, the major form of esophageal cancer in the U.S.,
is the most rapidly rising cancer in the western world," said a summary of the
study's results. "It is generally diagnosed at a late stage and has a poor
prognosis, with a five-year survival of less than 10 percent."

"Although the current treatment includes chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and,
if possible, esophagogastric resection, many patients with esophageal
adenocarcinoma experience progression of disease despite such treatment,
suggesting that such tumors are resistant to standard therapy," the summary
said.

Enter curcumin therapy. Other "novel" forms of treatment and therapy have not
proven as effective, say researchers, especially in patients who have advanced
cancer.

"The magnitude of this problem mandates the need for novel therapeutic agents,
specifically the use of agents for chemoprevention. This is most attractive for
esophageal adenocarcinoma since a pre-malignant condition, Barrett's esophagus,
is a well-recognized lesion," says the summary.

In short, a common form of cancer that is resistant to current standard
treatments is being bested by treatment with an age-old spice.

"Curcumin seems to have multiple molecular targets and its enhanced potency in
cancer in various cancer cell lines and xenograft tumors renders it a strong
candidate for therapeutic applications for esophageal cancer as well as other
cancers and inflammatory disease states," said the study.

Dramatic reductions in the spread of cancer

Previous research has also found that curcumin - and its primary element,
turmeric - have been found to reduce cancer growth and brain tumors as much as
81 percent.

"Used by ancient Chinese and Indian systems of medicine, curcumin has been
shown to reduce brain tumor size by 81 percent in 9 out of 11 studies," say
researchers from the University of California-Los Angeles.

"Turmeric and curcumin are both extremely cheap methods of boosting your
health, and are readily available almost worldwide," said Mike Barrett, co-
founder of alternative health organization, Natural Society. "The ubiquitous
nature of turmeric both in the form of supplementation and spice sets up
turmeric to be the next vitamin D over the next few years. As more medical
professionals begin to recognize the benefits of turmeric and curcumin, a major
media blitz will follow as it did regarding the multiple known effects of
vitamin D."

In the UCLA study, 21 participants who had contracted head and neck cancer saw
the spread of their disease halted after being given chewable supplements
containing 1,000 mg of curcumin each.

"Curcumin, the main component in the spice turmeric, suppresses a cell
signaling pathway that drives the growth of head and neck cancer, according to
a pilot study using human saliva by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive
Cancer Center," the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes
of Health, said, confirming the university's results.

Sources:

http://www.plosone.org

http://www.cancer.gov

http://www.prnewswire.com

News

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