|
LYCOPENE
- Small study finds lycopene suppresses HG-PIN’s transition into prostate
cancer.
(April 2006)
There is strong support
for a benefit of lycopene in retarding prostate cancer at all clinical
stages ( see Feb/Mar PCa Commentary - “Diet and Prostate Cancer” ). Now
evidence from a small study indicates that lycopene can interrupt the
progression of HG-PIN into occult prostate cancer: “Lycopene as a
chemopreventative agent in the treatment of high-grade prostate
intraepithelial neoplasm, Mohanty NK, Urologic Oncology 23 (2005) 383-385.
The study design:
Prostate cancer was excluded by careful work-up and prostate biopsy in 230
men who then underwent a TURP for their BPH. Of this group 40 were found
to have HG-PIN. Twenty were treated with 4 mg lycopene (Lyc-O-Mato) twice
daily for one year and instructed to follow their regular diet. The
untreated control group was advised to reduce the intake of tomato
products and melon.
At one year follow-up the
median PSA in the treatment group had fallen from 6.07 to 3.5 ng/mL, but
PSA in the control group increased from 6.55 to 8.06 ng/mL. Unique to this
study, baseline and 1 year serum lycopene levels were measured (normal -
300 ng/mL): mean values for the treated group - 360 ng/mL increasing to
680 ng/mL at one year; and in the control group, 378 ng/mL at baseline
dropping to 180 ng/mL.
PSA and lycopene levels,
and DREs were checked at 3 month intervals during the 2 year study. Over
the second year of the study, any man who developed an abnormal DRE or an
increased PSA underwent prostate biopsy. Result: adenocarcinoma was
diagnosed in 2 men in the treated group versus 6 in the control group.
The authors find the data
very suggestive, but acknowledge that such a small study needs
confirmation. However, the study was well done, and was especially notable
for the inclusion of serum lycopene measurements.
The lycopene “dose” most
cited in the literature is 30 mg/day, which can easily be obtained from 8
oz. tomato juice daily and one or two servings of tomato based products
weekly.
In clinical practice when
HG-PIN has been diagnosed and follow-up advised, there is no downside to
recommending a high lycopene diet, which has no toxicity and is well
tolerated.
Bottom Line:
Evidence suggests lycopene as a beneficial chemopreventive agent for men
with HG-PIN
«
Back to Article List |
