What if the solution to cervical cancer was hidden in a fungus?
Researchers at the Health Science Center at the University of Texas in Houston (United States) reveal that an extract from Japanese shiitake mushroom (Lentinula Edodes) is believed to be effective in the treatment of Human Papillomavirus (HPV), the main cause of cervical cancer.
This is the AHCC (Active hexose correlated compound), a molecule produced by the Shiitake fungus, which has been studied here by the research team.
AHCC is a food supplement already used for its immunostimulatory properties: it would stimulate the immune system, repel infections and prevent tumor growth.
Three months of treatment may be enough
The study was carried out on 10 women, whose tests at Papillomavirus were positive.
Once a day and for six months, each woman had to swallow a tablet composed of AHCC, extracted directly from the fungus.
Of the ten women, five of them tested negative for HPV after only three months of treatment. It was also confirmed that HPV was completely eliminated in three women, even after treatment had ended. The remaining two women had to take the treatment until the end of the six months to have satisfactory results.
A clinical trial launched
For Judith A. Smith, lead author of the study, “These results are very encouraging. “
“Since AHCC is a dietary supplement without adverse effects, with other benefits for immunity, we will test it as a six-month treatment in our next clinical study. These results confirm in any case those of our previous studies. “
Research will therefore continue on a phase II clinical trial, where AHCC will be compared with a placebo treatment, to test the effectiveness of the treatment on a larger scale.
Papillomavirus is a very common sexually transmitted infection, which you can sometimes be a carrier without knowing it, if there is no lesion. According to the Ministry of Health, papillomaviruses type 16 and 18 are responsible for 70% of cervical cancers, and 80% of women are exposed to this virus in their lifetime.
HPVs are also believed to be responsible for 95% of anal / anal cancers. rectum, 65% of cancers of the vagina, and 60% of cancers of the pharynx and throat.
And if the vaccine “Gardasil” has been shown to be effective, it only targets two thirds of the types of HPV that exist.
