Botanical Formula Shows Promise in Fighting Metastatic TNBC

A botanical formula that includes medicinal mushroom, flavonoids, botanicals, and extracts of cruciferous vegetables may be effective against triple-negative metastases, according to a study published in the  journal Oncology Reports.

The study was conducted at the Cancer Research Laboratory, Methodist Research Institute, Indiana University Health. It was presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy for Cancer Research.  Its publication in Oncology Reports marks the third peer-reviewed study demonstrating the anticancer effects of the formula.

Researchers implanted triple-negative human breast cancer cells in the breast tissue of mice.  The tested group was given the formula orally for four weeks; the control group received no treatment.  

According to a news release from Indiana University Health:

The cancer metastasized to the lungs in only 20 percent of the treated group as compared to 70% of the untreated, control group. Furthermore, in the treatment group that did metastasize, the number and size of the lesions was dramatically reduced in comparison to the control group. 

Gene analysis showed that the formula down regulated (suppressed and reduced) two genes implicated in cancer metastasis -- PLAU (urokinase plasminogen activator, uPA) and CXCR4 (C-X-C chemokine receptor-4). These results further substantiate previous cancer cell studies published on this formula, which similarly demonstrated a down regulation of these cancer promoting genes. 

The  formula includes ingredients that have been shown in previous research to have anti-cancer properties:

• Medicinal mushrooms Trametes versicolor, Ganoderma lucidum, Phellinus linteus reduce cancer growth and invasiveness.• Extracts from the botanicals Scutellaria barbata, Astragalus membranaceus and Curcuma longa induce programmed cell death (apoptosis) and reduce cancer metastasis.•The flavonoid, quercetin, reduces cancer cell proliferation and helps suppress tumor growth.• DIM (3, 3'-Diindolylmethane), an active component of cruciferous vegetables, reduces cancer growth, migration and invasiveness.

      Source: Jiang J, Thyagarajan-Sahu A, Loganathan J, Eliaz I, Terry C, Sandusky GE, Sliva D. BreastDefend prevents breast-to-lung cancer metastases in an orthotopic animal model of triple-negative human breast cancer. Oncol Rep. 2012 Jul 26. doi: 10.3892/or.2012.1936.