In the long-term treatment phase of an Israeli phase II study reported in the journal Nutrients, Keizman et al found that PectaSol modified citrus pectin (P-MCP) may be effective in patients with nonmetastatic, biochemically relapsed prostate cancer.
As stated by the investigators, “[P-MCP] is a food supplement categorized as “Generally Recognized as Safe” by the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration]. It is a competitive inhibitor of the galectin-3 protein, which is involved in cancer pathogenesis.”
Study Details
Patients were recruited for the multicenter trial between 2013 and 2019. In the initial report from the trial, P-MCP treatment for 6 months resulted in improvement in prostate-specific antigen doubling time (PSADT) in 75% of patients. A total of 46 patients without evidence of disease progression or dose-limiting toxicity could enter a long-term phase of an additional 12 months of treatment at 4.8 g three times daily.
Key Findings
Among the 46 patients, 7 withdrew consent and continued P-MCP treatment on an out-of-pocket basis.
At 12 months, among the 39 patients who initiated the second phase of treatment, 33 (85%) exhibited decreased or stable PSA or an improvement in PSADT (n = 21, 54%); prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography scans were negative in 35 (90%).
Among the 39 patients, median PSADT improved significantly, (P = .003) from 10.3 months (range = 1.4–54.6 months) at baseline to 43.5 months (range = 3.5–981.0 months) at 18 months.
None of the 39 patients experienced grade 3 or 4 toxicities during 18 months of therapy. Grade 1 toxicity was observed in 30% during the first 6 months and in 23% during the subsequent 12 months. Toxicity consisted of transient and reversible bloating that did not require treatment discontinuation.
The investigators concluded: “…P-MCP may have long-term durable efficacy and is safe in [patients with nonmetastatic, biochemically relapsed prostate cancer].”
Daniel Keizman, MD, of the Department of Oncology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, is the corresponding author for the Nutrients article.
Disclosure: The study was funded by EcoNugenics Inc, Santa Rosa, CA. For full disclosures of the study authors, visit mdpi.com.
