Pomegranate Juice Helps Keep PSA Levels Stable In Men With Prostate
Cancer
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060702084515.htm

Drinking an eight ounce glass of pomegranate juice daily increased by
nearly four times the period during which PSA levels in men treated for
prostate cancer remained stable, a three-year UCLA study has found.
The study involved 50 men who had undergone surgery or radiation but
quickly experienced increases in prostate-specific antigen or PSA, a
biomarker that indicates the presence of cancer. UCLA researchers
measured "doubling time," how long it takes for PSA levels to double, a
signal that the cancer is progressing, said Dr. Allan Pantuck, an
associate professor of urology, a Jonsson Cancer Center researcher and
lead author of the study.
Doubling time is crucial in prostate cancer, Pantuck said, because
patients who have short doubling times are more likely to die from
their cancer. The average doubling time is about 15 months. In the UCLA
study, Pantuck and his team observed increases in doubling times from
15 months to 54 months, an almost four-fold increase.
"That's a big increase. I was surprised when I saw such an improvement
in PSA numbers," Pantuck said. "In older men 65 to 70 who have been
treated for prostate cancer, we can give them pomegranate juice and it
may be possible for them to outlive their risk of dying from their
cancer. We're hoping we may be able to prevent or delay the need for
other therapies usually used in this population such as hormone
treatment or chemotherapy, both of which bring with them harmful side
effects."
The study appears in the July 1 issue of Clinical Cancer Research, the
peer-reviewed journal of the American Association of Cancer Research.
"This is not a cure, but we may be able to change the way prostate
cancer grows," Pantuck said. "We don't know yet the specific factors
behind this response - that's our next step in this research. We want
to find out what cell signaling pathways might be affected, what is
happening to keep PSA levels stable."
Pomegranate juice is known to have anti-inflammatory effects and high
levels of anti-oxidants, which are believed to protect the body from
free-radical damage. It also contains poly-phenols, natural antioxidant
compounds found in green tea, as well as isoflavones commonly found in
soy, and ellagic acid, which is believed to play a role in cancer cell
death.
"There are many substances in pomegranate juice that may be prompting
this response," Pantuck said. "We don't know if it's one magic bullet
or the combination of everything we know is in this juice. My guess is
that it's probably a combination of elements, rather than a single
component."
The levels of PSA in men immediately following treatement should be
undetectable, Pantuck said. If PSA can be detected, it's an indication
of an aggressive cancer that is likely to progress. The men in
Pantuck's study all had detectable PSA following treatment. Of the 50
men enrolled, more than 80 percent experienced improvement in doubling
times.
Conventional treatment for men with recurrent prostate cancer includes
hormonal therapy, a chemical castration which removes testosterone from
the system. Men treated with hormonal therapy can experience hot
flashes, osteoporosis, fatigue, depression, muscle wasting, loss of
libido and erectile dysfunction. If drinking pomegranate juice can
delay or prevent the need for hormonal therapy, patients would
experience a better quality of life for a longer time, Pantuck said.
The patients in Pantuck's study experienced no side effects and none of
the participants had cancers that metastasized during the study.
Pantuck, along with UCLA colleagues including Dr. Arie Belldegrun,
professor and chief of urologic oncology, and Dr. David Heber,
professor and director of the Center for Human Nutrition, first began
research on pomegranate juice in prostate cancer about six years ago,
conducting preclinical research in cell cultures and in animals. Those
studies showed pomegranate juice slowed the growth of prostate cancer,
Pantuck said.
The data was impressive enough to test pomegranate juice in clinical
trials, Pantuck said. To confirm their findings, a larger Phase III
study, headed up by UCLA, will be conducted at ten centers across the
county. UCLA is the only Southern California center involved in the
study. For more information on the Phase III trial, call (310)
825-5538.
Pantuck said he has men on the study more than three years out who are
not being treated for prostate cancer other than drinking pomegranate
juice and their PSA levels continue to be suppressed.
"The juice seems to be working," he said.

The study, performed at the Clark Urology Center, was funded by the
Stewart and Lynda Resnick Trust. The Resnicks own POM Wonderful, which
provided the juice from the Wonderful variety of pomegranate for the
study.