Vegetable Compound May Reduce Mesothelioma Treatment Side Effects

For a cancer as rare and difficult to treat as mesothelioma, innovative thinking is vital to making progress that helps survivors live longer and feel healthier. While experimental therapies for this disease have harnessed genetically modified viruses, leopard frog eggs and laser-activated drugs, innovation doesn’t always come from exotic sources. Sometimes treatment breakthroughs are hiding in plain sight. Take the veggies on your dinner plate, for example. A research team has reported an anti-cancer vegetable compound called PEITC could have interesting therapeutic benefits for pleural mesothelioma patients. The National Cancer Institute shows PEITC is found in cruciferous vegetables, a nutrient-rich family of plants that includes: Arugula Bok choy Broccoli Cauliflower Cabbage Brussels sprouts Collard greens Kale Watercress Radishes The medical journal Oncotarget recently published an article about a team of French researchers who confirmed for the first time that PEITC and the popular chemotherapy drug cisplatin make a powerful, cancer-fighting pair. While research shows both can kill mesothelioma cells on their own, the study shows they are even more effective when combined. The study also found the combination is completely safe for healthy cells, suggesting it may have fewer side effects than standard chemotherapy. Better Treatment Strategies Needed Standard first-line treatment for mesothelioma involves combined treat...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Treatment & Doctors Source Type: news