Accumulating evidence from cellular and animal studies suggests that EGCG from Green Tea may help prevent and treat pancreatic cancer

Scientists from the Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler have previously shown that EGCG from Green Tea inhibits the growth and causes the death of human pancreatic cancer cells. In this study human pancreatic cancer was grafted into mice. Giving the mice EGCG decreased the ability of the pancreatic cancer cells to survive, and inhibited the production of blood vessels designed to feed the tumor. There was a significant reduction in the size of the cancerous tumor, a significant decrease in the creation of new cancer cells, a significant inhibition of blood vessels by the tumor that would nourish its growth, and a significant decrease in metastasis (movement to other parts of the body). The cells were inhibited from progressing through their cell cycle, caspase-3; the cellular executioner was called in, and cancer cells were being destroyed at a significant rate. The release of a protein that allows the cancer to escape to other parts of the body known as VEGF-R2 was also significantly inhibited.

According to the researchers; Overall, our data suggest that EGCG inhibits pancreatic cancer growth, invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels that allow the cancer to grow and escape), and thus could be used for the management of pancreatic cancer prevention and treatment. The study is published in the January 1st, 2008 issue of the journal Frontiers in Bioscience.