Cervical cancer has always been the most frightening disease for women. One treatment for this disease generally uses radiation.
Unfortunately, this treatment raises a number of side effects for the patient's body. it's because this therapy not only destroys cancer cells, but also destroys the closest healthy cells.
The scientists then sought ways to reduce this. One of the researchers who conducted the study on this subject was researchers from Misouri University (MU) School of Medicine.
They studied human cancer cell tissue in the laboratory to show that combining blueberry extracts with radiation can improve the effectiveness of treatment.
"Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays and other particles such as gammar rays aimed at destroying cancer cells," said Yujiang Fang, M.D., Ph.D., lead author of the study, quoted by Science Daily, Friday (29/12/2017).
"For some cancers, such as end-stage cervical cancer, radiation is a good treatment therapy option, however, the deterioration of healthy cell tissues always occursbased on previous research, we studied the blueberry extract to make sure it could be used as a radiosensitizer, "continued the visiting professor at the MU School of Medicine.
radiosensitizer itself is a non-toxic chemical compound that makes cancer cells more responsive to radiation therapy. In a previous study, Fang and his team found that the resveratrol compound in red wine could be used as a radiosensitizer for prostate cancer.
in addition to red wine, the fruit that has this compound is blueberry.
"In addition to resveratrol, blueberries also contain flavanoids, which are chemicals that have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial properties," Fang said.
in this study, the researchers used cervical cancer cell lines to mimic clinical care. .the cell lines were divided into four groups, namely the control group, the group receiving only the radiation, the group receiving only the blueberry extract, and the group receiving both the radiation and the blueberry extract.
"Our team used three different sizes to confirm the results of the study," Fang said.
"Radiation lowers cancer cells by about 20 percent," he said. Interestingly, the only group receiving blueberry extract had a 25 percent decrease in cancer cells, but the biggest decline occurred in the group receiving both blueberry radiation and blueberry extract, which was 70 percent.
fang also explains how blueberry extract can be used as a radiosensitizer and reduce abnormal growth of cancer cells.
"Cancer cells avoid death by overhauling themselvesoften with reduced cellular poliferation, the blueberry extract will trick cancer cells into dying, "Fang said.
"So it inhibits birth and supports death from cancer cells," he added.
Fang said that research on animals is the next step. The goal is to confirm that he and his team will achieve the same result.