Analogs of Green Tea and Curcumin touted as possibly having a robust role in preventing head and neck cancer relapse

Head and neck cancers (squamous cell carcinoma) affect more than 45,000 Americans annually. Patients who are successfully treated for this cancer have a high risk of developing a second primary cancer (the cancer initiating in a similar site). Newer preventive strategies include mixing retinoids (vitamin A analogs) with interferon and vitamin E, cancer killing viruses, and molecularly targeted agents in specific combinations. Scientists at Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine state that considerable evidence has supported a cancer preventive role for several nutrients including Green Tea and Curcumin analogs. The review is published in the current issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics.

15% Green Tea Ointment is effective in treating external genital warts

Polyphenon E is a standardized Green Tea Extract ointment approved by the FDA in 2006 for the treatment of genital warts caused by the human papilloma virus. In this new Phase II/III study 242 patients with 2 to 30 external genital warts were treated with either a 10% Polyphenon E cream, a 15% Polyphenon E ointment or an inactive placebo ointment in a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial for up to 12 weeks and they were checked 12 weeks later. The products were applied 3 times a day. The 15% ointment caused a significant difference in the rate of complete clearance of all original warts compared to placebo. The 15% Green Tea ointment was effective and safe for both genders in treating external genital warts. The study is published in the November 2007 issue of the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.