MOLECULES FOUND in a curry spice have been shown by researchers at University College Cork to kill oesophageal cancer cells.
The researchers found when they treated oesophageal cancer cells in the laboratory with curcumin – a chemical found in the curry spice tumeric – it started to kill cancer cells within 24 hours. The cells also began to digest themselves.
Their finding, published today in the British Journal of Cancer, could lead to a novel treatment for oesophageal cancer if the discovery can be turned into a drug treatment, but that could take time.
About 350 new cases of this cancer are diagnosed in Ireland every year and fewer than 20 per cent of people survive oesophageal cancer beyond five years.
Dr Sharon McKenna, lead researcher on the study at the Cork Cancer Research Centre in UCC, said it was especially interesting that the cancer cells that would be the most resistant to chemotherapy were actually very sensitive to this compound.
“We think there is potential for this to be developed as an agent to treat resistant oesophageal cancer cells,” she said. “There is also great potential for this to be developed as a chemopreventative agent for people predisposed to oesophageal cancer.”
She said tumeric, the ingredient which gives curry rice for example its yellow colour, is broken down in the blood. A way is needed to be found to ensure it stayed in the circulatory system for longer to give it time to kill cancer cells.
Dr McKenna said she would now be testing the compound on other types of cancer.
Asked if people with oesophageal cancer should now start eating lots of curries, she said tumeric was just one spice that was found in curry.
“A curry contains a lot of other heavy spices that would not necessarily be good for you at all,” she said. “When you eat it, you are not applying it directly to the cancer cells as we were in the laboratory.”