Alternative cancer therapies are heading for more clinical studies.(Clinical Rounds)

LA JOLLA, CALIF. -- An emerging trend in complementary and alternative medicine is a shift away from animal-only studies and toward clinical trials involving the use of herbs for cancer treatment, Dr. Mary L. Hardy said at a meeting on natural supplements in evidence-based practice sponsored by the Scripps Clinic.

"I really want to see if we can get out of mice and into humans for some of these interesting herbs for cancer, and I think we will," said Dr. Hardy, associate director of the Center for Dietary Supplement Research in Botanicals at the University of California, Los Angeles.

She discussed an ongoing study of 82 patients with oral leukoplakia who underwent micronuclei and chromosomal assays and then were treated with 4-5 cups a day of black tea daily for 1 year (J. Environ. Pathol. Toxicol. Oncol. 2005;24:141-4).

The researchers repeated the micronuclei assay at 6 months and the chromosomal assay at 12 months. Of the 15 patients who completed the study, all showed a significant decrease in micronuclei frequency and chromosomal aberrations. "This is not a toxic or difficult intervention," Dr. Hardy noted at the meeting, which was cosponsored by the University of California, San Diego.

She also predicted that there will be an increasing number of studies of pomegranate juice and other anthocyanin-enriched juices for a variety of conditions, particularly cardiovascular disease. In one recent trial, 45 patients with coronary artery disease and ischemia were randomized to receive 240 mL pomegranate juice daily or placebo for 3 months (Am. J. ...