In cancer fight, berry may hold keys to more effective treatment

Here’s a reason to stop building over and polluting our natural spaces. Scientists have discovered that a previously unremarkable berry that grows in the swamps of North America might hold the key to more effective chemotherapy. In particular, the chokeberry could hopefully strengthen the effectiveness of a certain type of chemo used to treat pancreatic cancer.

Researchers found that gemcitabine in combination with chokeberry extract was more effective at killing cancer cells than gemcitabine by itself.

Report conclusion

A study by researchers at King’s College Hospital and the University of Southampton suggests that adding nutraceuticals (basically foods used for medical purposes) to chemotherapy cycles may improve the effectiveness of the usual drugs. The team tested the effectiveness of chokeberry extract in killing off cancer cells. Researchers found that adding the chokeberry extract to gemcitabine (a chemotherapy drug used in the treatment of pancreatic cancer) was more effective at halting the growth of cancer cells than the drug alone.

The promising results seen are encouraging and suggest that these polyphenols have great therapeutic potential not only for brain tumours but pancreatic cancer as well.

Dr Harcharan Rooprai

Health pancreatic cancer