Does CoQ10 Induce Melanoma Apoptosis & Inhibit Mel Mets?

HaoleBoy · Regular Joined: 19 Aug 2008 Posts: 37

Does anyone know or heard anything about CoQ10....One of my sisters showed me the abstract on an Italian Study (small patient population) which concluded that CoQ10 with Interferon adjuvant therapy showed a significant reduction in melanoma progression (metastasis) compared to the control arm of patients treated with interferon only. (I've pasted the abstract of the Italian Study below -- with its link) as well as some other articles of interest on it. CoQ10 is classified as a vitamin supplement which can be bought without a prescription. Is there any "legs" to the potential utility of CoQ10 as a potential anti-cancer therapy, or is it in the same class as curcumin and green tea - demonstrated benefit in "in vitro" and mouse "critter" studies....?

[b]From Emory University on CoQ10[/b]: What is CoQ10

Intro and Background
Coenzyme Q10 is a natural compound that is essential to the body's natural production of energy . In 1957, researchers at the University of Wisconsin won the Nobel Prize for discovering the role this vitamin plays in the body. Meat and poultry are the primary sources of dietary CoQ10, while supplements are also widely available . Researchers have found that cancer patients usually have lower levels of CoQ10 in their blood plasma than healthy individuals . This finding serves as a basis for research into CoQ10 treatment. In order to see a significant increase in coenzyme Q10 about 100mg/day needs to be taken in supplement form .

[b]The Italian Study Extract[/b]: Recombinant interferon [alpha]-2b and coenzyme Q10 as a postsurgical adjuvant therapy for melanoma: a 3-year trial with recombinant interferon-[alpha] and 5-year follow-up.

ORIGINAL ARTICLESMelanoma Research. 17(3):177-183, June 2007.
Rusciani, Luigi a; Proietti, Ilaria a; Paradisi, Andrea a; Rusciani, Antonio c; Guerriero, Giuseppe a; Mammone, Alessia d; De Gaetano, Andrea d; Lippa, Silvio b

Abstract:
Early surgical intervention remains the most successful therapy for melanoma. Despite better outcomes observed in soft tissue and lymph node metastases, the results of pharmacological therapies are still disappointing. Currently, there is no standard adjuvant therapy for melanoma. Low concentrations of coenzyme Q10 have been demonstrated in melanoma cell lines and in sera of melanoma patients. These data and the results of clinical trials of patients with other advanced cancers prompted this study of the long-term administration of an optimized dose of recombinant interferon [alpha]-2b and coenzyme Q10 to patients with stage I and II melanoma. A 3-year trial envisaging uninterrupted treatment with low-dose recombinant interferon [alpha]-2b (9 000 000 000 IU weekly) administered twice daily and coenzyme Q10 (400 mg/day) was conducted in patients with stage I and II melanoma (American Joint Committee on Cancer criteria 2002) and surgically removed lesions. Treatment efficacy was evaluated as incidence of recurrences at 5 years. All patients completed the treatment and the follow-up. Significantly different rates of disease progression were observed in the interferon+coenzyme Q10 and the interferon group for both stages. No patient withdrew from the study owing to side effects. Long-term administration of an optimized dose of recombinant interferon [alpha]-2b in combination with coenzyme Q10 seemed to induce significantly decreased rates of recurrence and had negligible adverse effects. A survival study could not be undertaken owing to the small patient sample and the short duration of follow-up.
http://www.melanomaresearch.com/pt/re/melres/abstract.00008390-200706000-00006.htm;jsessionid=JcWKJW3t1Kzwc96J2T1qktvknDywrTdgh5lySF7Hs2QpmFZf9Q6l!1571206638!181195629!8091!-1

[b]Another short summary of this Italian Study on CoQ10 from the Townsend News Letter[/b]: In a non-randomized trial, 32 patients with surgically removed stage I or II melanoma received 400 mg per day of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) for three years, while 49 age- and sex-matched patients with stage I or II melanoma served as controls. All patients were treated with recombinant interferon alpha-2b throughout the trial. After five years, metastases had occurred in 26.5% of patients in the control group and in 3.1% of those receiving CoQ10 (p = 0.006

[b]More on CoQ10 from the Natural Health Research Institute[/b]

http://www.naturalhealthresearch.org/nhri/?p=206#more-206

Web article from BreastCancerChoices.Org about University of Miami research on CoQ10 inducing apoptosis (cell death) in breast cancer..... University of Miami CoQ10 researchers are partnering with Pathfinder Management Inc., to seek FDA approval for CoQ10
http://www.breastcancerchoices.org/coq10.html

Vee Smith · Moderator Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 818 Location: UK

I have taken it for the last four years. It is only really effective on cancer in doses of over 300 mg, which becomes exceedingly expensive. On the other hand, since anyone over 50 stops producing the enzyme, it is worth building in on any supplement programme you have as a safeguard.

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