Promising Developments from Turmeric Compounds Could Help Fight Ovarian Cancer

Question: How can alpha-curcumene help fight ovarian cancer?

Answer: Alpha-curcumene stimulates apoptotic cancer cell death and boosts enzymes that induce cancer cell death. ^(vi.359)

Question: Can curcumin help fight ovarian cancer?

Answer: Research shows curcumin and curcumin analogs have a number of effects that could help fight ovarian cancer. These include:

• Promoting cell-cycle arrest in chemoresistant ovarian cancer cells. ^(vi.357)
• Increasing levels of tumor suppressors and enzymes that induce cancer cell death. ^{(vi.357, 360, 361)}
• Boosting effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs on ovarian cancer cell lines and on ovarian tumors in animal studies. ^{(vi.35, 362)}
• Suppressing angiogenesis in animal studies modeling ovarian cancer better than docetaxel alone or in combination with the chemo drug. ^(vi.358)
• Inhibiting tumor growth with and without chemotherapy in multidrug-resistant ovarian tumors. In some animal studies, curcumin actually reduced tumor size more than the chemotherapy drug docetaxel. ^{(vi.358, 362)}
• Down-regulating NF-κB, Akt, and STAT-3 transcription factor activation. ^(vi.81)
• Suppressing inflammatory proteins and cytokines that promote tumor growth. ^{(vi.363, 364)}
• Reducing VEGF, a growth factor that helps cancer stimulate angiogenesis. ^(vi.362)
• Blocking proteins that help cancer cells survive. ⁽³⁶⁰⁾
• Suppressing oncogenes. ^{(vi.357, 363)}
• Researchers suggest curcumin is effective with or within 24 hours before cisplatin chemotherapy. ^(vi.358)

Question: Can niacin help fight ovarian cancer?

Answer: Niacin increased survival time in animals treated with cisplatin and niacin. Cisplatin alone showed no effect against the tumors. ^(vi.358)

Question: Can quercetin help fight ovarian cancer?

Answer: In case and population studies involving European women, high consumption of onions, which are particularly rich in quercetin, was linked with significantly lower rates of ovarian cancer. ^(vi.250)

These studies are supported by research that shows quercetin has the following effects that may block ovarian cancer progression:

• Quercetin boosts the effectiveness of cisplatin and genistein drugs in lab studies. ^(vi.358)
• Quercetin inhibits tumor cell growth. ^(vi.131)
• Quercetin reduced markers for ovarian cancer and showed antitumor activity when given intravenously to a patient with ovarian cancer. ^(vi.358)

Question: Can resveratrol help fight ovarian cancer?

Answer: Resveratrol has anticancer activity that could help fight ovarian cancer. These include:

• Resveratrol increases the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs on ovarian cancer cell lines. ^(vi.362)
• Resveratrol suppresses growth factors, transcription factor proteins, adhesion molecules, and kinase enzymes that promote cancer growth and metastasis. ^{(vi.362, 364, 365)}
• Resveratrol inhibits tumor growth in animal studies. ^(vi.362)
• Resveratrol helps reduce the toxic side effects to heart from doxorubicin chemotherapy. ^(vi.362)

Question: Can vitamin C help fight ovarian cancer?

Answer: According to a case report, intravenous vitamin C eliminated ovarian tumors following chemotherapy treatment. ^(vi.358)

Question: Can vitamin C help fight ovarian cancer?

Answer: Vitamin E reduced the toxic side effects of cisplatin and cisplatin/paclitaxel chemotherapy in randomized, controlled clinical trials. ^(vi.358)