Herbal Supplement May Help Treat Pancreatic Cancer

Traditional Chinese medicine may treat pancreatic cancer, according to a new study.

Researchers said the latest findings suggest that the extract from an ancient medicinal herb that treats prostate cancer may also treat pancreatic cancer. New research reveals that the pancreatic cancer may share similar development pathways with prostate cancer.

The latest study reveals that the extract from the Amur cork tree (Phellodendron amurense) blocks those pathways and inhibits the scarring that thwarts anti-cancer drugs.

"Fibrosis is a process of uncontrolled scarring around the tumor gland," principle investigator Dr. A. Pratap Kumar, a professor of urology in the School of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio said in a news release. "Once you have fibrotic tissue, the drugs cannot get into the cancer."

Kumar explains that liver and kidney tumors also develop fibrosis and the resulting resistance to drugs. However, there are currently no treatments that target that pathway in those cancers.

The latest study reveals that the two pathways, or proteins, that promote fibrosis in those tumors also boost Cox-2, an enzyme that causes inflammation. However, the cork tree extract suppresses that pathway.

Researchers said that cork tree extract, which is sold as a dietary supplement in capsule form, has already been established as safe for use in patients.

The latest study involving 24 participants revealed that all of the patients were able to tolerate the treatment. Researchers said the next step is to test the treatment with a larger sample size.

The findings are published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.