Mayo Clinic writes that prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in men. Prostate cancer generally grows slowly and initially remains confined to the prostate gland, where it may not cause serious harm. Although some types of prostate cancer grow slowly and may need minimal or no treatment, other types of prostate cancer are aggressive and can spread quickly. In a news release on Feb. 20, 2013, the UC Davis Health System has reported, Mushroom-supplemented soybean extract shows therapeutic promise for advanced prostate cancer.
UC Davis researchers have found a natural, nontoxic product which is called genistein-combined polysaccharide, or GCP, which is commercially available in health stores, may help to lengthen the life expectancy of certain prostate cancer patients. The most benefit is likely for men with prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, known as metastatic cancer, and who have had their testosterone lowered with drug therapy. The lowering of testosterone, which is also known as androgen-deprivation therapy, has long been the standard of care for patients with metastatic prostate cancer. However, life expectancies vary widely for those who undergo this treatment. These new findings offer promise for GCP therapy as a way to extend life expectancy of patients with low response to androgen-deprivation therapy.
This research focused on GCP, which is a proprietary extract cultured from soybeans and shiitake mushrooms and marketed by Amino-Up of Sapporo, Japan. The researchers discovered that the combination of the compounds genistein and daidzein, both present in GCP, helps block a key mechanism used by prostate cancer cells to survive in the face of testosterone deprivation. Dr de Vere White, one of the researchers, has said, “We should know within the first eight months or so of human clinical trials if GCP works to reduce PSA levels,” referring to prostate-specific antigen levels, a tumor marker to detect cancer. Dr de Vere White has also said, “We want to see up to 75 percent of metastatic prostate cancer patients lower their PSA levels, and GCP holds promise of accomplishing this goal. If that happens, it would probably be a greater therapy than any drug today.”
