might the concentration of copper in drinking water affect breast tumor growth?

[Lani]

14-Nov-2013
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Contact: Lionel Pousaz
lionel.pousaz@epfl.ch
41-795-597-161
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Copper intake makes tumors breathe

EPFL researchers have shown that copper is essential for the energy production of malignant cells, and that reducing its intake via food and water can slow down tumor growth

Copper imbalances have been associated with a number of pathological conditions, including cancer. Publishing in PNAS scientists at EPFL have found that copper in drinking water – given at the maximum levels permitted in public water supplies – accelerated the growth of tumors in mice. On the other hand, reducing copper levels reduced tumor growth. The study strongly suggests that copper is an essential factor for the growth of tumors in humans as well.

Copper is a key player in cell growth. In order to proliferate, cells require energy, which they produce and store in the form of a molecule called ATP. Like all cells, tumor cells produce energy in two different ways: respiration, which requires oxygen, and glycolysis, which does not. Of the two, respiration is the more efficient way to make ATP. However it involves a number of enzymes, and one of the most important ones requires copper for its activity.

In a study led by Douglas Hanahan, researcher at EPFL and holder of the Merck Serono Chair in Oncology, scientists sought to examine the role of copper in cancer. To do this, they used genetically engineered mice with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. "This study was motivated by our previous puzzling observation; namely that cancers, unlike healthy tissues, are especially sensitive to changes in systemic copper levels", said Seiko Ishida, the lead author of the paper.

Their research provides direct evidence that copper can enhance the proliferation of cancer cells. "The biggest surprise was that a small amount of copper added to drinking water accelerated the growth of tumors, indicating that copper is an essential nutrient for them, said Ishida.

Teaming up with Johan Auwerx, also at EPFL, the researchers found that copper insufficiency resulted in a lower activity of the respiration enzyme in tumors. PET scans also revealed that copper-deficient tumors took higher levels of glucose, suggesting that their cells were compensating more and more by using glycolysis rather than respiration for their energy. But despite this, ATP levels did not fully recover, and tumors did not grow further.

Importantly, the researchers do not think that copper causes cancer. Exposure of healthy mice to the same amount of copper via drinking water for up to two years did not result in an increased incidence of cancer. The authors suggest that copper levels could be monitored in cancer patients. They propose that minimizing copper in the patient's system may be beneficial in cancer therapy, especially when combined with drugs that block glycolysis. This two-step strategy would starve cancer cells – which tend to require much higher amounts of energy than normal cells – by limiting their two major pathways for ATP production.

[donocco]

Lani

This is interesting. You have brought up something Ive been researching since 2000, the relationship between copper and cancer. There was a doctor, George Brewer, who lowered the serum copper of 18 advanced cancer patients by 80% using a copper chelator known as Ammonium Tetrathiomolybdate or TM for short. A few of his advanced cancer patients lived a fairly long time using this TM copper reduction. Recently a doctor, Linda Vadhat used TM copper reduction in treating Triple negative breast cancer patients who were able to attain a NED status. The disease was expected to return within 10 months. One of her copper reduced patients has been going for four years without evidence of disease return. Unfortunately Ammonium Tetrathiomolybdate is not yet FDA approved. The idea was to get it approved for the treatment of Wilson's disease. This is a hereditary disease where the body is burdened with excess copper. This excess copper gets deposited into the liver and brain where it can cause a fatal Cirrhosis and Parkinson symptoms. When the disease is found in early childhood the patient is put on a low copper diet and given copper chelators like Penicillamine and Trientine. They then can live a fairly normal lifespan. Unfortunately Penicillamine and Trientine have a lot of side effects. Recently Brewer and other physicians discovered that once the copper levels have been lowered sufficiently, they can be kept down by giving 50mg Elemental zinc ( a zinc salt is given) 3 times a day before meals. Chronic zinc ingestion causes the formation, in the intestine, of a protein called Metallothionein. This Protein acts as a copper chelator and prevents copper absorption, thus keeping the copper levels down. The zinc treatment has few side effects, unlike Penicillamine. There is a prescription form of Zinc Acetate with the brand name of Galzin which supplies 50mg Elemental zinc per tablet.

Paul

PS Brewers interest in copper and cancer did not involve energy production. It involved angiogenesis or new blood vessel formation. Once a metastatic tumor reaches a size of one million cells, (about the size of the smallest dot you can make with your pencil) blood vessels have to be made by the tumor in order to continue growing. Copper is an important cofactor in Angiogenesis. A lot of the proteins involved in angiogenesis are dependent on copper. By lowering the copper levels 80% using TM, his patients had sufficient copper to support life, but insufficient copper to support tumor angiogenesis.

[KDR]

There is a copper depletion therapy trial that is showing great efficacy in triple negative patients. I think it is run by Linda Vadhat.
Karen

[Laurel]

Lani,

I have been aware of the concern regarding copper and cancer for some time and try to avoid it. Oddly, finding a multi-vit without Copper is extremely difficult. It is also added to many supplements. Naturally, older homes have copper plumbing which could leach into owner's drinking water. It is not easy to avoid, it seems. Thx for info.

[conomyself]

FWIW, Brita filters remove most of the copper from drinking water.

As I understand it, copper balances out zinc, so if we have enough zinc it will balance out the copper...

I was hoping to find a better article than this...I think it's a great article, but it also has a laser focus on debunking vegetarianism, but it is very well researched and has good info on copper in the diet...

http://www.westonaprice.org/metaboli...zinc-imbalance

[donocco]

There is something involved with cancer called the copper zinc ratio. If you draw blood from a person you can measure the serum copper and the serum zinc. A possible serum copper might be 98micrograms per 100cc serum or 98 micrograms percent. The same number (98 micrograms percent) could be a zinc concentration. If you divide the copper concentration by the zinc concentration you get a copper/zinc ratio. In the case of the just mentioned imaginary person the copper-zinc ratio would be 98 divided by 98 or 1. So the copper zinc ratio would be 1.0.

If you measure the copper-zinc ratio of cancer patients it tends to be 1.4, 1.5, even 2.1 in favor of the copper. The more advanced the cancer the higher the copper-zinc ratio. What is interesting is that this seems to hold true for most, if not all cancers.

In lymphomas you have a situation of complete remission after treatment, then a relapse etc. When the lymphoma patient is firat diagnosed the copper-zinc ratio might be 1.5. He or she is treated with chemo, has a complete remission and the measured copper-zinc ratio might be 0.9 favoring zinc. A year later, the lymphoma patient might start to feel weak, tired and have night sweats. These are typical lymphoma symptoms. Blood is drawn, the copper and zinc levels are measured and the copper-zinc ratio is now 1.6 The scans show the patient is out of remission and the lymphoma is back. There is something significant going on in cancer regarding the copper and zinc. It is known cancer cells hoard copper because it is needed for angiogenesis.

Paul

[conomyself]

That's interesting, Paul. It seems odd that the copper would be floating around the blood stream, but I don't know about these things. I wonder if someday this will be used like a tumor marker?

IP6 is a substance made from rice bran and fairly widely available as a nutritional supplement. As I understand it, IP6 chelates iron, copper and other minerals from the body, and it is actively used in Japanese mainstream medicine to treat cancer.

Rachael