Soybean Compounds Enhances Effects of Cancer Radiotherapy

Isoflavones, a natural, nontoxic component of soybean was found to help treat cancer patients. Initial studies conducted by team leader Gilda Hillman of Wayne State University's School of Medicine and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, published in Nutrition and Cancer in 2010 reported that clinical trials of patients with prostate cancer treated with radiotherapy and soy tablets have reduced damage caused by radiation to surrounding cells of normal, noncancerous tissue.

To investigate further, the group under a two year grant of $347,000 from the National Cancer Institute, studied the effects on isoflavones on non-small cell lung cancer cells in mice. The Report published in the journal Radiotherapy and Oncology showed that indeed isoflavones can make cancer cells more vulnerable to ionizing radiation. This is through the inhibition of survival pathways that are activated by radiation in cancer cells but not in normal cells.

Once protocols to maximize tumor-killing and normal tissue-protecting effects during radiation therapy are developed, clinicians can begin using soy isoflavones combined with radiation therapy in humans, a process the researchers believe will yield both therapeutic and economic benefits.

For more details see the news at http://www.sciencenewsline.com/medicine/2011121914100003.html