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Prostate cancer progression may be slowed by green tea

Updated: 2009-06-22 22:20:24 CST Category: Prostate

by Laurent Castellucci

The active ingredients in green tea may slow the progression of prostate cancer in those who already have the disease, according to the results of a study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Researchers from the Feist-Weiller Cancer Center at LSU Health Sciences Center-Shreveport found that men with prostate cancer who consumed Polyphenon E, equal to about what you would get from drinking 12 cups of normally-brewed green tea a day, had a significant reduction in serum markers predictive of prostate cancer progression.

"The investigational agent used in the trial may have the potential to lower the incidence and slow the progression of prostate cancer," said Dr James A. Cardelli, lead author on the paper.

Cardelli and his colleagues used well-established blood tests used to predict or track prostate cancer progression: hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) and tested patients who were scheduled for radical prostatectomy.

The study found a significant reduction in blood levels of all three after treatment, with some patients' blood test levels dropping more than 30 percent.

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