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Chemoprevention of Prostate Cancer
In a pilot trial, a purified extract of Green Tea Catechins (GTCs) was used for chemoprevention of human prostate cancer. To this purpose, volunteers bearing high grade PIN (prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, an histological pre-neoplastic lesion that will develop prostate cancer in 30% of cases within one year), were given 600 mg of GTCs/day or placebo. Purity and content of GTCs preparation was assessed by HPLC (EGC 5,5%; EC 12,24%; EGCG 51,88%; ECG 6,12%; total GTCs 75,7%; caffeine < 1%). After one year of treatment, only 1 cancer was found in GTCs-arm subjects, while 9 cancers were found in placebo-treated ones. This result account for a 90% efficacy in high-risk HG-PIN volunteers. In addition, as a secondary observation, also BPH symptoms were significantly reduced. This is the first study showing that GTCs have potent in vivo chemoprevention activity in humans, suggesting that GTCs administration is a safe and effective therapy for treating pre-malignant lesions by filling a therapeutic void before prostate cancer develops. If confirmed, our finding anticipate a new exciting scenery in which GTCs administration may greatly reduce the incidence of prostate cancer in high-risk subjects. Considering that prostate cancer incidence is steadily increasing, being now the most diffuse malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related death among men the United States and Europe, our finding could result in a tremendous social and clinical impact in the population of Western Countries.
Bibliographical reference:
Saverio
Bettuzzi
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