Potential of Curry Spice Extract in Fight Against Colorectal Cancer
A group of scientists in the United Kingdom is set to study the potential of using an extract from a curry spice as an addition to the standard treatment being received by people suffering from advanced colorectal cancer.
The planned study will be conducted by researchers from the Experimental Cancer Medicine Center (ECMC) at the University of Leicester. The scientists will look into whether tablets that contain curcumin, an extract of the spice turmeric, can be safely added to the standard treatment for colorectal cancer.
William Steward, chief investigator and ECMC director, shared: “Once bowel cancer has spread it is very difficult to treat, partly because the side effects of chemotherapy can limit how long patients can have treatment… The prospect that curcumin might increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapy is exciting because it could mean giving lower doses, so patients have fewer side effects and can keep having treatment for longer.”
Turmeric is a spice that is part of the ginger family, and is a staple ingredient in many Indian, Persian, and Thai dishes. Curcumin, on the other hand, is the chemical that gives some drinks and food – such as curries and Jaffa cakes – their bright color.
The study will recruit 40 participants who have been diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and whose disease has spread to the liver, at Leicester Royal Infirmary and Leicester General Hospital. Seventy-five percent or three-quarters of the participants will receive curcumin tablets for seven days, after which they will be given Folfox, a combination of three chemotherapy drugs (the usual treatment for patients with advanced colorectal cancer); the rest of the participants, on the other hand, will only receive Folfox.
Tags: curcumin, curry spice, fight colon cancer, fight colorectal cancer
