EGCG may be beneficial in aggressive-invasive breast cancer

Currently there is no effective therapy against estrogen independent breast cancer. A cell line used in the research of breast cancers that are not fed by estrogen or other hormones, but are highly aggressive and invasive, is the MDA-MB-231 cell line. When a drug or strategy for preventing highly aggressive and dangerous breast cancers is studied they often use these cells.

Studies are showing that Green Tea Polyphenols (GTP) reduce the incidence and progression of breast cancer although researchers state that more science is needed. Recent research from these scientists has shown that GTP and EGCG treatment inhibit the proliferation and induce the destruction of the aforementioned cells.

In this newest study, the scientists from the Department of Pathology, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, again add both GTP and EGCG to this very dangerous cell line. Adding the Green Tea antioxidants induced destruction of the cells (induced apoptosis) and significantly decreased their invasion. EGCG was the strongest inhibitor reducing invasion by almost 30%. The study is published in the September 2007 issuer of the journal Cancer Biology and Therapy.