Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells
A new theory of cancer biology—cancer stem cells—and the role played by sulforaphane, a phytonutrient produced by cruciferous vegetables.
Topics
Supplementary Info
Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells,
Sources Cited
Clevers H. The cancer stem cell: premises, promises and challenges. Nat Med. 2011 Mar;17(3):313-9.
Karrison TG, Ferguson DJ, Meier P. Dormancy of mammary carcinoma after mastectomy. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1999 Jan 6;91(1):80-5.
Aguirre-Ghiso JA. Models, mechanisms and clinical evidence for cancer dormancy. Nat Rev Cancer. 2007 Nov;7(11):834-46.
Tiede B, Kang Y. From milk to malignancy: the role of mammary stem cells in development, pregnancy and breast cancer. Cell Res. 2011 Feb;21(2):245-57.
Acknowledgements
Images thanks to Mikael Häggström, Nissim Benvenisty, and Peter Znamenskiy via Wikimedia Commons, the Gurdon Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and New York State Stem Cell Science.
Transcript
Over the last decade a new theory of cancer biology has emerged, the cancer stem cell. Normal stem cells are involved in organ repair, they travel around the body, sit and wait until they’re some damage, and step in and replace whatever structures are necessary. Lost a little skin here, bone or muscle there, need to regrow a new tooth, these cells are ready and willing. And, the best part, they’re built to last a lifetime. But those same qualities, migration, colonization, proliferation, self-renewal, immortality can be used against us, when stem cells go bad, and decide to build tumors instead.
Cancer stem cells may explain cancer spread and cancer recurrence. That may be why cancer tends to come back. There may be no cure, only remission. You can have a breast cancer relapse 20-25 years after you thought it went away. Thanks, potentially, to cancer stem cells.
Our current armamentarium of chemo drugs and radiation is based on animal models. If the tumor shrinks, it’s a success. But lab rats only live 2 or 3 years. All these new fancy therapies like antiangiogeneisis, cutting off the blood supplies to tumors? That’s great, but the cancer stems cells may be like fine, I’ll go somewhere else and grow another one. What we need is to strike at the root of cancer, treatments aimed not at just reducing tumor bulk, but rather at targeting the ‘beating heart’ of the tumor, the cancer stem cell. Enter, broccoli.
Sulforaphane, a dietary component of broccoli, and broccoli sprouts, appeats to inhibit breast cancer stem cells. Breast tissue, naturally has to have lots of stem cells. Your body never knows when you’re going to get pregnant and need to start making a lot of new milk glands. Researchers recently discovered this compound in broccoli that may destroy cancerous stem cells and keep them from going rogue in the first place.
Estrogen receptor positive human breast tumor; estrogen receotpr negative breast tumor. Let’s add some broccoli juice. Going … going, … nearly gone. Stem cell hotspots before, and after.
To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.
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Doctor's Note
Broccoli also protects our DNA. See the preceding video-of-the-day,DNA Protection From Broccoli, and my other 35 videos on greens and 98 videos on cancer. And those are two of the 1,290 topics I cover here at NutritionFacts.org. Note that most of the sources for this video are all open access, so you can click on them above in the Sources Cited section and read them full-text for free.
For more context, check out my associated blog posts: Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli, Fighting Inflammation with Food Synergy, Antioxidants in a Pinch: Dried Herbs and Spices, How to Enhance Mineral Absorption, Breast Cancer Stem Cells Versus Broccoli, Treating PMS with Saffron, Are Bioidentical Hormones Safe?, The Anti-Wrinkle Diet, Increasing Muscle Strength with Fenugreek, and How Tumors Use Meat to Grow
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Sulforaphane: From Broccoli to Breast
In a test tube, the broccoli phytonutrient sulforaphane appears to target breast cancer stem cells, but how do we know it's even absorbed into the body? Have women undergoing breast reduction surgery eat some an hour before their operation and directly measure the level in their tissues.
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DNA Protection from Broccoli
Eating broccoli appears to make DNA more resistant to damage.
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