Title:Anti-cancer Effects of Curcumin on Head and Neck Cancers
Volume: 12
Issue: 9
Author(s): Wei Gao, Jimmy Yu-Wai Chan, William Ignance Wei and Thian-Sze Wong
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Chemotherapeutic agent, Curcumin, Epigenetics regulation, Head and neck cancer, Matrix Metalloproteinases, Signaling Pathway, Family Proteins, Cyclins/cyclin-dependent Kinases, Animal Xenograft, PHARMACOKINETIC
Abstract: Head and neck cancer is the sixth large type of cancer in the world. The treatment regimens for head and neck cancer
encompass surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, all current treatment regimens for head and neck cancer have adverse
effects. Therefore, continuing investigations have been undertaken to seek less toxic therapies to reduce treatment morbidity for head and
neck cancer. Substantial evidence has demonstrated that curcumin inhibited proliferation, migration, invasion and metastasis and induced
apoptosis via modulating multiple signaling pathways in head and neck cancer. Curcumin also suppressed the growth of xenograft
derived from head and neck cancer in vivo in animal models. This review summarizes the evidence demonstrating potential use of
curcumin as a single chemotherapeutic agent or in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents and radiation to minimize their
toxicity in head and neck cancer. Although curcumin has been shown to be safe at doses of 8 g/d in both phase I and phase II clinical
trials, its bioavailability is poor. Overcoming the poor bioavailability of curcumin in the near future would facilitate its clinical use.
