Green tea's action on bladder cancer

Green tea extract is able to target cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone, researchers have found for the first time, adding further support to its potential as a cancer prevention agent.

The UCLA team has also uncovered more about how green tea extract counteracts the development of cancer. This could allow researchers to work out which people could benefit from the extract.

Numerous epidemiological and animal studies have suggested that green tea extract provides strong anti-cancer effects in several human cancers, including bladder cancer.

In the new study on bladder cancer cell lines, scientists demonstrated that the plant extract interrupts a process that is crucial in allowing bladder cancer to become invasive and spread to other areas of the body.

The findings, published in the 15 February issue of Clinical Cancer Research, “add a new dimension in understanding the mechanisms of green tea extract," said senior author JianYu Rao.

Epidemiological studies have also shown selenium and vitamin E to decrease the risk of bladder cancer.