May 29, 2005 Chlorophyll-based Therapy for Prostate Cancer Original article by Jonathan Leake, Science Editor RESEARCHERS have harnessed a drug based on chlorophyll, the pigment that reacts with sunlight to produce energy in plants and make them green, to develop a treatment for prostate cancer. The scientists injected the drug into patients and then “activated” it using tiny lasers inserted into the prostate gland. The chemically modified chlorophyll attacked and blocked the blood vessels that fed the tumours, killing the cancerous cells within days. The technique remains experimental but trials at University College London (UCL) and in Canada suggest it has strong potential. (John Trachtenberg, director of the prostate centre at Princess Margaret hospital in Toronto, is overseeing the trials). The technique was co-devised by Avigdor Scherz, a plant biochemist based at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. He knew that when chlorophyll was struck by light it could be induced to release a surge of “free radicals” — highly reactive molecules capable of destroying nearby cells. He reasoned that, in the darkness of the human body, a drug based on chlorophyll would remain inert unless hit by light. He named the drug Tookad, Hebrew for “warmth of light”, and went into partnership with Steba Beheer NV, a Dutch firm that is sponsoring clinical trials. Last autumn Trachtenberg enlisted 30 patients who had suffered a recurrence of prostate cancer despite being treated with radiotherapy. In the treatment, his team inserted up to five needles into each patient’s prostate, feeding tiny fibre-optic cables through the needles. The cables were sited to illuminate the diseased prostate without affecting adjacent organs. The patients were infused with Tookad and, as it began circulating through the body, their prostates were flooded with laser light. As the trials went on, the level of light and the number of needles were raised. “The last 12 patients got the maximum number of needles and the highest light dose. Of those 12, a six-month biopsy has shown the cancer has gone,” said Trachtenberg. Most of the other patients also showed some benefit. If confirmed, such results would be a significant success. In London, the trials of Tookad are less advanced but have shown promise. Six patients have been treated using just two fibre-optic cables and 24 more cases are planned. In three cases the cancerous prostate gland has receded. The biggest hope is, however, that those treated will retain sexual function and bladder control. Excerpted from Sunday Times/UK, May 29, 2005 Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.