Herbal Supplement Might Prevent Prostate Cancer

Study will test Zyflamend to see if it stops disease development

FRIDAY, Sept 24, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- The first clinical trial of the herbal supplement Zyflamend in patients with a precursor to prostate cancer is being conducted by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.

Zyflamend, which is commonly used as an anti-inflammatory, may prove effective in preventing prostate cancer. Prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) is a clinical precursor to prostrate cancer. Without intervention, men with PIN have a 50 percent to 70 percent risk of developing prostate cancer, the researchers said.

"Zyflamend has shown an ability, in vitro, to reduce prostate cancer cell proliferation by as much as 78 percent and to induce cancer cell death or apoptosis," principal investigator Dr. Aaron E. Katz, an associate professor of urology and director of the Center of Holistic Urology at Columbia, said in a prepared statement.

"These results are exceptionally promising and have led us to initiate this clinical trial," Katz said.

The Phase I study will evaluate the safety and tolerability of Zyflamend in up to 48 men, aged 40 to 75, with PIN. The men will receive the herbal supplement three times a day for 18 months, according to the researchers.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about prostate cancer prevention.

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