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Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements for Seniors
Encouraging Results for Folic Acid as a Cancer
Prevention Drug
June 12, 2006 - Folic acid supplements may prevent
cancer progression and promote regression of disease, according to a
new, but small, study. The study found that 31 of 43 patients with the
precancerous laryngeal lesion called leucoplakia demonstrated 50 percent
or greater reduction in the lesion size after six months of taking
folate supplements.
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Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements |
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In 12 of 31 responders, there was no evidence of
the original lesion. Folate levels in the patients' blood also increased
significantly from baseline while homocysteine levels decreased
significantly. This study provides data to support the hypothesis that
folate insufficiency is a risk factor for cancer progression.
Folate deficiency is the most common vitamin
deficiency in the United States. Folate is a naturally occurring B
vitamin (B-9) found abundantly in fresh vegetables and fruits. Folic
acid is its more stable synthetic form found in dietary supplements and
fortified foods. At the biochemical level, folate is incorporated into
coenzymes that are essential in facilitating a variety of reactions in
nucleic acid and amino acids metabolism. Some of which are critical to
healthy life, such as DNA synthesis, DNA repair, and converting
homocysteine to methionine. The latter is particularly important because
excess homocysteine is linked to chronic health problems, such as cancer
and cardiovascular disease.
Animal and human studies have increasingly
demonstrated associations between folate deficiency, serum homocysteine
elevations, and a variety of cancers. Some studies have suggested folate
supplementation or at least a high folate dietary intake may protect
against some cancers. This body of evidence suggests folate to be an
effective chemopreventive drug. Other chemopreventive drugs are being
tested, and while the retinoids demonstrate the most promise, they are
highly toxic. Giovanni Almadori, M.D. of the Institute of
Otolaryngology, Universitΰ Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Policlinico A.
Gemelli in Rome, Italy and colleagues investigated the efficacy of folic
acid dietary supplementation to treat precancerous lesion and prevent
cancer.
The investigators enrolled 43 patients with
untreated laryngeal leucoplakia and treated them with folic acid (5mg
three times a day) and evaluated the progression of leucoplakia every 30
days for six months.
Over six months of treatment, 12 patients (28
percent) had complete resolution of their leucoplakia lesions; 19
patients (44 percent) had reduction of 50 percent or more in the size of
their lesions and 12 patients (28 percent) had no response. Mean folate
levels increased and mean homocysteine levels decreased significantly.
There were no moderate or severe adverse events reported.
Comparison to another promising chemopreventive
drug regimen that includes a retinoid, "our complete response rate is
lower than the one reported in a smaller population," the authors write.
Nevertheless, folate "is characterized by a lower grade of toxicity,"
and there was no progression of disease.
These results suggest, according to the
researchers, "folate supplementation, alone or in combination with other
chemopreventive drugs, could effectively reduce the risk of progression
in an already genetically altered mucosa, especially in patients with
hypofolatemia."
About the study:
The study will be published in the July 15, 2006
issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society,
Article: "Pilot Phase IIA Study for Evaluation of
the Efficacy of Folic Acid in the Treatment of Laryngeal Leucoplakia,"
Giovanni Almadori, Francesco Bussu, Pierluigi Navarra, Jacopo Galli,
Gaetano Paludetti, Bruno Giardina, Maurizio Maurizi, CANCER; Published
Online: June 12, 2006 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.22003); Print Issue Date: July
15, 2006.
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