Cancer of the osteoid bone tissue is called osteosarcoma and while it is extremely rare, it is more commonly found in women and children. There are several potential reasons that may contribute to the development of osteosarcoma including both genetic and environmental factors. One risk factor is prior exposure to high dose radiation therapy or chemotherapy treatments for another kind of cancer, where children are further at risk. Additionally, those with genetic bone disorders have surgical bone repairs with metal implants appear to also be at a higher risk for developing osteosarcoma. Bone cancer is typically treated by a combination of cancer fighting techniques including chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. Recent research has indicated that certain nutritional supplements may be effective in combating bone cancer.
Resveratrol
Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant found in red grapes and red wine and is also marketed in its pure form as a nutritional supplement. Resveratrol has been shown to have heart-healthy benefits because of its potential to reduce arterial cholesterol and high blood pressure. In a report issued in the May 2009 "European Journal of Pharmacology," researchers stated that resveratrol was able to induce cell death in osteosarcoma cells while causing no harm to normal, non-cancerous bone cells. These results suggest that resveratrol alone may be considered as an alternative treatment for bone cancer; however, these studies are preliminary and did not take place in live animals, so further studies are needed.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D, which is the collective term for at least three different molecules, is an essential vitamin that is found in animal products like milk, eggs and fish and is also available in supplemental pill form. Vitamin D is also synthesized by the skin following exposure to UV-B rays from sunlight. According to MayoClinic.com, vitamin D is important in maintaining the balance of electrolytes like sodium and potassium within the blood. A published report in the August 28, 2007 issue of "Cancer Letters," states that treatment with vitamin D reduced the growth of osteosarcoma cells. Again these results are preliminary and should not be used as evidence that increased vitamin D consumption will effectively treat someone with bone cancer.
Vitamin Mixtures
In an interesting study published in a 2006 issue of "Medical Oncology," researchers reported the anti-osteosarcoma effects of a diet that was supplemented with amino acids, vitamin C and green tea extract. In this study, they combined the amino acids proline, lysine and arginine with vitamin C and green tea extract and fed them to mice containing human oosteosarcoma tumors. This combination was effective at halting tumor growth and reducing tumor size, implicating this mixture as a potential chemotherapy treatment for osteosarcoma. While these results are encouraging, further experimental analysis is required to validate these findings and this data should not be used as evidence for its direct effectiveness in humans.
References
- National Cancer Instititute: Bone Cancer: Questions and Answers
- "European Journal of Pharmacology"; Resveratrol inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells
- MayoClinic.com: Vitamin D
- "Cancer Letters"; Defeat Oseocarcinoma: Vitamin D's Anti-tumorigenic Properties in Bone Involve Upregulation of MAPK and AP-1/p21waf1
- "Medical Oncology"; Effect of ascorbic acid, lysine, proline and green tea extract on human osteosarcoma cell line MNNG-HOS xenografts in nude mice
