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Eating Brussels sprouts and drinking green tea could make aggressive breast cancers treatable by 'turning off' tumor genes, a study has found
Compounds in cruciferous vegetables influence tumor response to treatment
Such compounds can 'turn off' cancerous genes, changing therapy outcomes
Sufferers of aggressive breast cancer, known as ER-negative, have few options
Thousands of women die every years from ER-negative forms of the disease
University of Alabama researchers analyzed mice with ER-negative cancer
Eating sprouts and drinking green tea could make aggressive breast cancers treatable, new research suggests.
Compounds in cruciferous vegetables, such as sprouts, and the traditional herbal drink 'turn off' genes for ER-negative forms of the disease, which is notoriously unresponsive to therapy, a study found.
Study author Professor Trygve Tollefsbol from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, said: 'Your mother always told you to eat your vegetables, and science now tells us she was right.
'Unfortunately, there are few options for women who develop ER-negative breast cancer.'
Study author Yuanyuan Li added: 'The results of this research provide a novel approach to preventing and treating ER-negative breast cancer, which currently takes hundreds of thousands of lives worldwide.'
TEST PERSONALIZES BREAST CANCER CARE AND COULD SPARE LOW-RISK PATIENTS CHEMOTHERAPY
A test pinpoints breast cancer patients with a low-risk of their tumor returning, allowing them to avoid aggressive treatments, research revealed in June.
The test correctly identified 15 percent of the study's participants as being of a low-risk of their cancer coming back.
Such patients had a strong prognosis after their initial treatment regardless of whether they were given additional therapy to prevent their tumor returning, the research adds.
Lead author Dr Laura Esserman from the University of California in San Francisco. said: 'This is an important step forward for personalizing care for women with breast cancer.
'We can now test small node-negative breast cancers, and if they are in the ultra-low risk category, we can tell women that they are highly unlikely to die of their cancers and do not need aggressive treatment, including radiation after lumpectomy.'
How the research was carried out
The researchers analyzed mice with ER-negative breast cancer.
They gave the mice two compounds found in common foods that work together to prevent cancer and could transform tumors into a more treatable form of cancer.
Cruciferous vegetables, such as sprouts, were selected as they contain a compound, known as sulforaphane, that 'turns off' genes that influence cancer's development.
Polyphenols in green tea have previously been shown to prevent and treat ER-negative breast cancer in mice that are genetically programmed to suffer from such tumors.
Vegetables and green tea make breast cancer treatable
Results reveal feeding mice compounds found in cruciferous vegetables and green tea converts aggressive breast cancers into more treatable tumors.
Professor Tollefsbol said: 'Unfortunately, there are few options for women who develop ER-negative breast cancer.
'Because of the poor prognosis this type of cancer carries, new advances in prevention and treatment for ER-negative breast cancer have particular significance.
'Your mother always told you to eat your vegetables and science now tells us she was right.'
Dr Li added: 'The results of this research provide a novel approach to preventing and treating ER-negative breast cancer, which currently takes hundreds of thousands of lives worldwide.'
The findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Source: Daily Mail