Double-checking my facts
Now that Mom's Herceptin has been stopped for cardiac concerns, I have gone back through my old data to see where I might increase dosing of certain nutrients and vitamins. I found this particular section of a 2005 article very reassuring, and have decided to make a new effort at increasing the EGCG levels in Mom's tissues.
Of the numerous polyphenols isolated from green tea, EGCG, is the most abundant and pharmacologically active component and the major target of anticancer research. EGCG has been shown to intervene at multiple stages of carcinogenesis, including tumor initiation, promotion, and progression. Tea polyphenols are potent antioxidants that scavenge reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in vitro. EGCG blocks tumor promotion by inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. In breast cancer cells, EGCG markedly inhibits the phosphorylation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), HER2/neu, stat-3, ERK, and akt, leading to decreased cell growth [19-20]. EGCG also causes cell cycle arrest by inhibiting the activities of cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdk)-2 and -4, while inducing the expression of Cdk inhibitors p21 and p27. EGCG may halt tumor progression by suppressing angiogenesis and protease activity involved in tumor invasion and metastasis. Finally, green tea may also enhance the effects of chemotherapeutic agents, since EGCG is also a DNA topoisomerase inhibitor against cancer cells.
I have concluded, for myself anyway, that perhaps the single most effective strategy I have at my disposal while the Herceptin is not being given, is to try and increase levels of EGCG and any other compound that will work directly to inhibit the action/expression of HER2/neu and EGFR. That's my plan and I'm sticking to it. We shall see if it works, as going up against HER2+ disease armed only with food and supplements should prove to be an interesting little single-patient clinical trial of my own making. Wish me luck.
Tom
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