Soy Compound May Fight Breast, Ovarian Cancers

Mathew Burow, a cancer researcher from Tulane University (New Orleans, LA, USA), assessed the compound, known as glyceollin, on mice with ovarian and breast cancer tumors that were triggered by the hormone estrogen. Over time, the compound blocked additional growth of the tumors by interfering with the tumor's ability to respond to estrogen. According to Dr. Burow, these results are significant because of the lack of effective therapies available to women with advanced breast or ovarian cancer. Unlike some of the available therapies, the glyceollins did not stimulate uterine cancer growth.

The results of the study were published in the December 2006 issue of the journal Clinical Cancer Research. Dr. Burow has collaborated in the past with the US Department of Agriculture and other institutions to precisely determine the potential of glyceollins. In related studies in primates, Dr. Burow's collaborators demonstrated that a diet rich in glyceollins also could help fight breast cancer.



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