Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) CancerCenter have found that a broccoli sprout extract protects against oral cancer in mice and proved tolerable in a small group of healthy human volunteers.
The promising results will be further explored in a human clinical trial, which will recruit participants at high risk for head and neck cancer recurrence later this year, said researchers at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.
"So we're developing a safe, natural molecule found in cruciferous vegetables to protect the oral lining where these cancers form," Bauman said.
Previous studies, including large-scale trials in China, have shown that cruciferous vegetables that have a high concentration of sulforaphane - such as broccoli and cabbage - help mitigate effects of environmental carcinogens.
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For several months, Johnson and his team gave sulforaphane to mice predisposed to oral cancer and found that it significantly reduced the incidence and number of tumours.
"The clear benefit of sulforaphane in preventing oral cancer in mice raises hope that this well-tolerated compound also may act to prevent oral cancer in humans who face chronic exposure to environmental pollutants and carcinogens," said Johnson.
Bauman treated 10 healthy volunteers with fruit juice mixed with sulforaphane-rich broccoli sprout extract.
These findings were enough to prompt a clinical trial that will recruit 40 volunteers who have been curatively treated for head and neck cancer.
The participants will regularly take capsules containing broccoli seed powder to determine if they can tolerate the regimen and whether it has enough of an impact on their oral lining to prevent cancer.
"We call this 'green chemoprevention', where simple seed preparations or plant extracts are used to prevent disease," said Bauman.