Curcumin, a key component of the Indian curry spice turmeric, may help slow down tumor growth in prostate cancer patients, a new study finds.
Reporting in the journal Cancer Research, researchers at Thomas Jefferson University’s Kimmel Cancer Center suggest curcumin appears to act on cellular activity tied to a male hormone that is key to the development and progression of prostate cancer.
Researchers found the substance not only had an impact on prostate cancer cells but that tumor growth and mass were also “significantly reduced” in mice treated with curcumin, according to a Jefferson University press release.
"This study sets the stage for further development of curcumin as a novel agent to target [cancer]," said Dr. Karen Knudsen, a Jefferson cancer specialist who led the study.
"It also has implications beyond prostate cancer … like breast cancer. In tumors where these play an important function, curcumin may prove to be a promising therapeutic agent."