Lycopene Helpful After Surgery for Prostate Cancer
 (NY, Reuters Health, 10/21/03)

Drs. M. S. Ansari and N. P. Gupta of the All India Institute of Medical Science, New Delhi studied 54 men with metastasized prostate cancer, who were castrated to stop the production of male hormones that drive such cancers. Immediately after castration, half the men were assigned a 2 mg dose twice daily of lycopene, a phytonutrient found in tomatoes. Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) levels dropped for both groups, indicating cancer clearance; however, the drop was greater in the lycopene group. Of the patients taking lycopene, 78% achieved a PSA reading of less than 4, considered a "complete response," compared to only 40% in the other group. Furthermore, 22% of the lycopene group died versus 35 % of the other group. The investigators conclude that lycopene supplementation benefits patients being treated for advanced prostate cancer -- it reduces PSA levels, improves survival rates and shrinks tumors.