Cruciferous vegetables may help cut melanoma odds

Pennsylvania, March 2: A cocktail of compounds extracted from cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and broccoli and selenium, a trace mineral crucial to good health, act as a potent drug against melanoma, the most severe form of skin cancerdefine, a team of US researchers have found.

While the cruciferous vegetables are already known to possess compounds that inhibit the growth of breast cancerdefine and prostate cancerdefine cells, the new cancer research shows they are effective against melanoma too.

For the study, the researchers picked up genetically engineered mice with skin cancer. While one group was infused vegetable compounds alone, the other was treated with the cocktail of vegetable compounds containing selenium, a trace mineral that aids in the production of antioxidant enzymes that help prevent cell damage from free radicals. Cancer patients are often deficient in this mineral.

Interestingly, “the selenium-enhanced compounds significantly reduced the production of Akt3 protein and shut down its signaling network, reducing the growth of melanoma tumors by sixty percent”, researchers stated.

“We have harnessed something found in nature to target melanoma, and since we only need tiny amounts to kill the cancer cells, it means even less toxic side-effects for the patient,” said Gavin Robertson, associate professor of pharmacology, pathology and dermatology, Penn State College of Medicine.

Melanoma, medically referred to as the most serious type of skin cancer develops in the skin cells called melanocytesdefine, cells that produce melanin — the pigment that gives the skin its color. Prolonged sun exposures, use of tanning lamps and sunbeds have strongly been linked to its incidence.

The study is yet to be tested on humans. Until then following some basic precautions on a daily basis can greatly help in preventing melanoma, researchers advise. These include, avoiding sun exposure, especially between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and wearing a liberal coat of sunscreen (year-round) preferably the one that has a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15. In addition, wear protective clothes like, full sleeves shirt, trousers and a hat while going outdoors and avoid sunbathing and tanning salons.

Going in for regular skin screening to pick up early spots is essentially the key, experts add.