| Phase
II study results indicate that green tea is not an effective treatment
for advanced prostate cancer Results from an American phase II clinical trial indicate that green tea is not an effective treatment for advanced prostate cancer, according to an article in the March 15th issue of CANCER. Laboratory studies had indicated that exposure to the polyphenols found in green tea could kill prostate cancer cells. In mice with prostate cancer, green tea has been shown to decrease tumor size and spread. Epidemiological studies have suggested that tea decreases the risk of prostate cancer. Aminah Jatoi, M.D., lead author, said "Since men with androgen-independent prostate cancer have few treatment options, we chose this group of patients for our green tea trial to learn whether green tea might help them. "However, in our study of 42 patients
with advanced androgen-independent prostate cancer, only 1 patient
showed a short-term drop in his prostate-specific antigen levels.
Our conclusion is that for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer,
green tea does not provide therapeutic benefit." "We set the dosage at the highest, yet relatively tolerable level, so patients could potentially receive maximal therapeutic benefit," explained Jatoi. At the start of the study, all patients reported drinking the specified amounts of green tea daily. After about 1 month, researchers found patients were dropping out of the study because their prostate cancer was not regressing and because they were experiencing side effects attributed to the high-dose green tea. "No patient experienced a sustained decline in prostate-specific antigen levels," said Jatoi. "One patient had a 1-month decline but rebounded by the second month with increasing levels." Overall, 69 percent of patients reported mild
side effects such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
A smaller group, 17 percent of patients, had moderate to severe
side effects including insomnia, diarrhea, and confusion. |