Curcumin Inhibits Metastasis to Lungs of Mice with Breast Cancer

Researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center have found that curcumin, the main ingredient of turmeric, inhibits metastasis to the lungs of mice with breast cancer. The study, published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, reports that curcumin appears to shut down a protein active in the spread of breast cancer to the lungs. When combined with the commonly prescribed chemotherapy for breast cancer, paclitaxel, curcumin enhances its effect, making it less toxic and just as powerful. This breakthrough has significant implications for the treatment of advanced breast cancer, which is a difficult foe to fight with few proven treatments available after surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.

Key Takeaways:

Curcumin, a compound found in turmeric, inhibits metastasis to the lungs of mice with breast cancer.
The study found that curcumin suppresses the inflammatory response that induces metastasis, making it impossible for the cancer to spread.
Curcumin works by blocking the protein known as "IKK" that switches on the NF-kB, a powerful protein that promotes the inflammatory response necessary to cause breast cancer to spread.
The researchers studied 60 mice with breast cancer and found that the combination of curcumin and Taxol reduced both the incidence and numbers of visible lung metastases.
Microscopic metastasis was found in the lungs of only 28% of mice treated with the combination of curcumin and Taxol, suggesting that the combination inhibited the growth of breast cancer tumor cells in the lung.
The study has significant implications for the treatment of advanced breast cancer, which is a difficult foe to fight with few proven treatments available after surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.

Statistics:

96% of mice in the control group developed macroscopic lung metastasis or metastasis visible to the naked eye.
28% of mice treated with the combination of curcumin and Taxol developed microscopic metastasis or metastasis visible only when using a microscope.
The incidence of metastases was reduced by 72% in mice treated with curcumin and Taxol compared to mice treated with Taxol alone.
The numbers of visible lung metastases were reduced by 75% in mice treated with curcumin and Taxol compared to mice treated with Taxol alone.
The study was conducted using 60 mice with breast cancer, which were randomly assigned to one of four groups: control group, Taxol only, curcumin only, and the combination of Taxol and curcumin.

Sources:

Clinical Cancer Research, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Cancer, M. D. Anderson researchers, August 15, 2005, issue of the journal Cancer