Chemical found in popular candy suppresses ‘silent killer’ pancreatic cancer, study shows
A chemical found in black licorice could help fight one of the world’s deadliest cancers, a first study of its kind suggests.
A study in mice found that the flavonoid isoliquiritigenin (ISL), found in licorice, an herb commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine, can kill pancreatic cancer cells.
Researchers in Hong Kong also found that the compound could make treatments such as chemotherapy more effective.
Study leader Dr. Joshua Ko Ka-Shun said, “This compound is worth considering for further development into a new generation of chemotherapy treatments.”
‘(Pancreatic cancer) is difficult to identify, and usually late stage when detected, and not many treatment options are available. Finding a suitable treatment is urgent.’
Isoliquiritigenin (ISL) is a substance found in black licorice. Researchers in Hong Kong found that it could suppress the growth of pancreatic cancer cells and make certain types of chemotherapy
The National Cancer Institute estimates that just over 44 percent of pancreatic cancer patients survive more than five years if the condition is still localized to the area of origin. It has an average survival rate of 12 percent
When ISL was injected into tumors, the survival rate of those cancer cells dropped by 50 to 80 percent, depending on the dosage.
About 11 to 13 percent of the cells went into a late stage of apoptosis, or cell death, compared to less than five percent of the cells that didn’t get ISL.
“ISL has the unique property of inhibiting the progression of pancreatic cancer through the blockade of autophagy, a natural process by which the body’s cells clear damaged or unnecessary components,” said Dr. Ko.
“The late-stage blockade of autophagy in our experiments results in the death of cancer cells.”
The researchers also tested the effects of ISL on the chemotherapy drugs gemcitabine (GEM) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU).
These drugs usually have low success rates, as low as 10 percent, and many patients become resistant to them after a few months of treatment.
But the team found that adding ISL to GEM suppressed cancer cell growth by 18 percent, and adding it to 5-FU blocked growth by 30 percent.
Pancreatic cancer is the third deadliest form of the disease in the United States, according to the National Cancer Instituteafter lung and colon cancer.
On average, only 12.5 percent survive after five years.
That is what the NCI estimates more than half these cases are diagnosed after the disease has already spread to other organs because the early symptoms, such as jaundice and abdominal pain, are easily overlooked.
When the cancer reaches later stages, the survival rate drops to just three percent.
This has led to pancreatic cancer being referred to as a “silent killer.”
The number of cases is also increasing. In the U.S., the incidence of the disease has increased by one percent every year since 2000, according to the American Cancer Society.
Worldwide, cases have doubled since 1990, a 2019 study in The Lancet estimated.
The research is still in its infancy and Dr. Ko urged the public not to consume large amounts of licorice to prevent cancer.
However, the team is optimistic that ISL could be used in treatments for years to come.
“The findings in this study open a new avenue for the development of ISL as a novel autophagy inhibitor in the treatment of pancreatic cancer,” said Dr. Ko.
“We hope to collaborate with other research partners to further evaluate the effectiveness and potential clinical application of ISL in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.”