April 4, 2011 – New research from Jefferson Hospital’s Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia suggests antioxidants may be an important tool in the fight against mesothelioma. Antioxidants as dietary supplements fight oxidative stress at the cellular level. Certain beans, blueberries, apples, cranberries, strawberries, cherries and plums are just some of the foods that are high in antioxidants.
There are also several antioxidant-based drugs that have a similar effect on cells and are currently being used to treat conditions such as lung disease, diabetes and malaria. The Thomas Jefferson researchers have now found evidence that these drugs may also be effective against cancers, such as mesothelioma.
Loss of the Caveolin-1, a tumor-suppressing protein, leads to oxidative stress in mesothelioma cells, which produces ‘fuel’ for tumor growth. Because antioxidants fight this stress, and cut off this fuel supply, the researchers believe that treating mesothelioma patients with antioxidant medications might be one way to stop the growth of their tumors.
Presently, antioxidants are not typically used to treat mesothelioma and other cancers because it is commonly believed that they could counter the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs. This study, however, provides the necessary genetic evidence that reducing oxidative stress in the body will decrease tumor growth and the use of antioxidants as anti-cancer agents may be an important part of the fight against mesothelioma.
Read more:
http://www.survivingmesothelioma.com/news/view.asp?id=001054
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