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Ovarian cancer- Curcumin as Synergistic, Integrative Therapy

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For ovarian cancer, treatment with curcumin alone and combined with docetaxel resulted in significant 47% and 58% reductions in tumor growth, respectively

Image result for image of ovarian cancer

If you have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, regardless of stage, you may benefit from evidence-based, non-toxic, complementary therapies. The research linked and excerpted below explains that both curcumin and intravenous vitamin C can kill ovarian cancer and can enhance many chemotherapy regimens.

I am a long-term multiple myeloma survivor. I was originally diagnosed in early 1994. Standard-of-care FDA approved therapies did little for me other than cause a host of short, long-term and late stage side effects. I wish I knew then what I know now…

I have taken curcumin daily since 2006 and I have remained in complete remission from my cancer, multiple myeloma.

Curcumin supplementation has shown anti-cancer action in breast, prostate, pancreatic, multiple myeloma and other cancers. The studies below cite the ability of curcumin to both kill both ovarian and cervical cancer cells while enhancing the efficacy of certain chemotherapies.

 Life Extension Super Bio-curcumin, 400mg, Vegetarian Capsules, 60-CountI supplement with Life Extension Super Bio-curcumin, 400mg. This form of curcumin is more bioavailable and has been evaluated and approved by consumerlab.com.

To learn more about non-toxic anti-cancer supplementation like curcumin, green tea, resveratrol and others, scroll down the page, post a question or comment and I will reply ASAP.

Thank you,

David Emerson

  • Long-term MM Survivor
  • MM Cancer Coach
  • Director PeopleBeatingCancer

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Curcumin inhibits tumor growth and angiogenesis in ovarian carcinoma by targeting the nuclear factor-kappaB pathway.

“RESULTS: Curcumin inhibited inducible NF-kappaB activation and suppressed proliferation in vitro. In vivo dose-finding experiments revealed that 500 mg/kg orally was the optimal dose needed to suppress NF-kappaB and signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 activation and decrease angiogenic cytokine expression.

In the SKOV3ip1 and HeyA8 in vivo models, curcumin alone resulted in 49% reductions in mean tumor growth compared with controls, whereas when combined with docetaxel elicited 96% and 77% reductions in mean tumor growth compared with controls. In mice with multidrug-resistant HeyA8-MDR tumors, treatment with curcumin alone and combined with docetaxel resulted in significant 47% and 58% reductions in tumor growth, respectively. In SKOV3ip1 and HeyA8 tumors, curcumin alone and with docetaxel decreased both proliferation (P < 0.001) and microvessel density (P < 0.001) and increased tumor cell apoptosis (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Based on significant efficacy in preclinical models, curcumin-based therapies may be attractive in patients with ovarian carcinoma….”

Antitumor action of curcumin in human papillomavirus associated cells involves downregulation of viral oncogenes, prevention of NFkB and AP-1 translocation, and modulation of apoptosis

“Infection with high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV) leads to development of cervical carcinoma, predominantly through the action of viral oncoproteins E6 and E7. The present study aims at analyzing the antitumor and antiviral properties of curcumin, on HPV associated cervical cancer cells.

Our findings indicate curcumin to be cytotoxic to cervical cancer cells in a concentration-dependent and time-dependent manner. The cytotoxic activity was selectively more in HPV16 and HPV18 infected cells compared to non-HPV infected cells…These results provide attractive data for the possible use of curcumin in the management of HPV associated tumors”

 


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Benefits of high-dose vitamin C for ovarian cancer patients

Researchers monitored the participants for five years. Those patients who received vitamin C tended to experience fewer toxic effects from the chemotherapy drugs.”

The article linked and excerpted below highlights two distinct issues. First and foremost, most conventional chemotherapies are toxic and bring with them collateral damage aka short, long-term and late stage side effects. At the same time, evidence-based but non-conventional therapies such as intravenous vitamin C is non-toxic. It dose not cause short, long-term or late stage side effects. 

The second issue discussed below is that cancer care is not a zero-sum game. You can take an “integrative” approach to your cancer therapy and undergo conventional therapies such as chemo, radiation and surgery in addition to non-conventional therapies like intravenous vitamin C. There are studies that cite certain conventional chemos that are enhanced by certain antioxidant supplements like intravenous vitamin C, curcumin or green tea extract.

It is in the best interest of a cancer patient to understand the full range of options. I am a cancer survivor and cancer coach. My experience and research has taught me that cancer patients must utilize the full spectrum of cancer therapies in order to manage their cancer and possible collateral damage. 

Benefits of high-dose vitamin C for ovarian cancer patients

“Scientists at the University of Kansas Medical Center have determined that high doses of vitamin C, administered intravenously with traditional chemotherapy, helped kill cancer cells while reducing the toxic effects of chemotherapy for some cancer patients…”

“What we’ve discovered is that, because of its pharmacokinetic differences, intravenous vitamin C, as opposed to oral vitamin C, kills some cancer cells without harming normal tissues.”

The researchers’ clinical trial involved 27 patients with newly diagnosed Stage 3 or Stage 4 ovarian cancer. All of the participants received conventional therapy with paclitaxel or carboplatin, while some were also treated with high-dose intravenous vitamin C. Researchers monitored the participants for five years. Those patients who received vitamin C tended to experience fewer toxic effects from the chemotherapy drugs.”

Curcumin induces chemo/radio-sensitization in ovarian cancer cells and curcumin nanoparticles inhibit ovarian cancer cell growth

“Results- Curcumin pre-treatment considerably reduced the dose of cisplatin and radiation required to inhibit the growth of cisplatin resistant ovarian cancer cells. During the 6 hr pre-treatment, curcumin down regulated the expression of Bcl-XL and Mcl-1 pro-survival proteins. Curcumin pre-treatment followed by exposure to low doses of cisplatin increased apoptosis as indicated by annexin V staining and cleavage of caspase 9 and PARP. Additionally, curcumin pre-treatment lowered β-catenin expression and transcriptional activity. Nano-CUR was successfully generated and physico-chemical characterization of Nano-CUR indicated an average particle size of ~70 nm, steady and prolonged release of curcumin, antibody conjugation capability and effective inhibition of ovarian cancer cell growth.

ConclusionCurcumin pre-treatment enhances chemo/radio-sensitization in A2780CP ovarian cancer cells through multiple molecular mechanisms. Therefore, curcumin pre-treatment may effectively improve ovarian cancer therapeutics. A targeted PLGA nanoparticle formulation of curcumin is feasible and may improve the in vivotherapeutic efficacy of curcumin.


The Most BioAvailable Curcumin Formulas

“Based on a review of these studies, it is evident that better bioavailability of formulated curcumin (CU) products is mostly attributed to improved solubility, stability, and possibly low first-pass metabolism”

A search of the Pubmed database for the word curcumin yields 601 studies spaning health topics from multiple myeloma and colorectal cancer, to chemotherapies that synergizes with CU, to Alzheimer’s Disease, arthritis and more. Based on years of reading studies and personal accounts, I think it is safe to say that CU supplementation is safe and relatively inexpensive.

I have read about myeloma patients taking daily doses of CU from 400 milligrams to 8 grams (1000 milligrams = 1 gram). By almost any measure, CU is a safe, inexpensive wonder drug.

The only challenge is that CU is famously difficult to absorb in the body. In other words, a person has to mix curcumin with some sort of fat (coconut oil, chocolate, etc.) or take a brand of curcumin capsule that is already formulated to be more “bioavailable” in order to derive the full benefit of CU.

The study linked and exerpted below reviews different formulations of CU. The study itself lists the three most bioavailable formulation/brand of CU and I’ve added an excerpt from a further review from Consumerlab.com that lists four additional bioavailable brands of CU.


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Curcumin

CU is a bright yellow chemical produced by some plants. It is the principal curcuminoid of turmeric (Curcuma longa), a member of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is sold as an herbal supplement, cosmetics ingredient, food flavoring, and food coloring.[1]

Bioavailable curcumin formulations: A review of pharmacokinetic studies in healthy volunteers.

“Curcumin is a widely studied natural compound which has shown tremendous in vitro therapeutic potential. Despite that, the clinical efficacy of the native CU is weak due to its low bioavailability and high metabolism in the gastrointestinal tract. During the last decade, researchers have come up with different formulations with a focus on improving the bioavailability of curcumin. As a result, a significant number of bioavailable curcumin-based formulations were introduced with the varying range of enhanced bioavailability.

The purpose of this review is to collate the published clinical studies of CU products with improved bioavailability over conventional (unformulated) CU. Based on the literature search, 11 curcumin formulations with available human bioavailability and pharmacokinetics data were included in this review. Further, the data on clinical study design, analytical method, pharmacokinetic parameters and other relevant details of each formulation were extracted.

Based on a review of these studies, it is evident that better bioavailability of formulated curcumin products is mostly attributed to improved solubility, stability, and possibly low first-pass metabolism. The review hopes to provide a quick reference guide for anyone looking information on these bioavailable curcumin formulations.

Based on the published reports,

exhibited over 100-fold higher bioavailability relative to reference unformulated CU. Suggested mechanisms accounting for improved bioavailability of the formulations and details on the bioanalysis methods are also discussed.”

According to Consumerlab.com:

“Novasol has the highest bioavailability (185 x compared to unforumulated CU), followed by Curcuwin (136 x), Longvida (100 x), Meriva (48 x), BCM-95 (27 x), Curcumin C3 Complex + Bioperene (20 x), and then Theracumin (16 x).”

Leave a Comment:

6 comments
Intravenous Vitamin C Synergizes Chemo for Ovarian Cancer - PeopleBeatingCancer says last year

[…] Ovarian cancer- Curcumin as Synergistic, Integrative Therapy […]

Reply
Halima Nazar says 5 years ago

REspected Sir
Is there any combination of termeric with Rhizoma paridis for ovarian cancer

Reply
Joelle says 9 years ago

Is it ok to take curcumin capsules (42mg x2/day) while receiving chemo (carboplatin/taxol). If so, is 2 caps enough or too much?

Reply
    David Emerson says 9 years ago

    Hi Joelle-

    According to the studies linked here, curcumin both ENHANCES the efficacy of carboplatin it also reduces its toxicity. Translation: you will get a better result while you reduce your risk of side effects.

    I also supplement with curcumin daily. If you don’t mind me asking, what brand are you taking? I ask because 42mg sounds like a small dose. I take 400 mg daily and this is a low dose due to being in remission. Cancer patients in active therapy often take 1-8 GRAMS daily. 1000 mg equals 1 gram.

    I think that if you supplement with a higher dose of curcumin daily you will experience a better result. Please also read those studies that talked about a similar supplement called resveritrol with carboplatin.

    I can provide you links to Amazon to those products that I use and recommend to other cancer patients. Your call.

    Let me know if you have any questions.

    David Emerson

    Reply
Cervical Cancer Complementary/Integrative Therapies- PeopleBeatingCancer says 9 years ago

[…] Curcumin, cervical and ovarian cancers- […]

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