Strawberries may protect against esophagus cancer, research shows
Baku, May 24 (AZERTAC). Eating strawberries may be a way to help people at risk of esophageal cancer protect themselves from the disease, according to a new study by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center — Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute and researchers in China.
Dr. Tong Chen is presenting the findings during a press briefing April 6 at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 102nd meeting 2011 in Orlando, Fla. The study is the first-ever collaborative Ohio State cancer clinical trial to be conducted in China.
Previously published research by Chen and colleagues found that freeze-dried strawberries significantly inhibited tumor development in the esophagus of rats. Based on these results, the researchers embarked on a phase Ib clinical trial in China to investigate the effects of freeze-dried strawberries on patients with esophageal precancerous lesions.
Each of the 36 study participants ate 60 grams (about two ounces) of freeze-dried strawberries daily for six months. The researchers obtained biopsy specimens before and after the strawberry consumption. The results showed that 29 out of 36 participants experienced a decrease in histological grade of the precancerous lesions during the study.
Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is quite common in China, Japan, the Transkei region of South Africa, Iran, France and Puerto Rico.
China has the largest population in the world, and the number of potential participants for clinical trials is higher than in any other country in the world.
In the United States, Canada and Europe, the risk factors for developing esophageal cancer include tobacco and alcohol use, along with poor diet lacking fruits and vegetables.
In Asia, additional risk factors include dietary intake of salty food and of food contaminated with various mycotoxins, deficiencies in dietary vitamins and minerals and thermal injuries due to the consumption of hot beverages.
More than 16,000 new cases of esophageal cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year, according to the American Cancer Society.
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