Treatment of cancer with mushroom products.
Cancer has been attributed to 3 causes: pollution, infection, and poor nutrition. Conventional treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. The author proposes that immunotherapy also be considered. Among other environmental influences, dietary deficiencies and carcinogenic viral infections must be investigated and treated wherever possible. It has been suggested that mushrooms, in particular, have a structure that is immunomodulatory because it resembles the proteoglycan structure in the human extracellular matrix, and both are metabolically active. Inasmuch as mitochondria have a bacterial origin, proteoglycans may have a mushroom origin. The author describes a study which shows that natural killer cells can double in number with 8 wk of treatment with Coriolus versicolor. Also described is an epidemiological survey of cancer deaths among Flammulina velutipes farmers in Japan, which found that the mushroom farmers had lower rates of cancer deaths than controls who were not involved in mushroom farming.
Monro
Jean A
JA
Breakspear Hospital, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, United Kingdom. jmonro@breakspearmedical.com
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000363:Agaricales / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D053674:Aggrecans; D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D058575:Decorin; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000502:physiology; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012260:Ribonucleases / Q000502:physiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D053674:Aggrecans; C546878:DCN protein, human; D058575:Decorin; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D011134:Polysaccharides; D011509:Proteoglycans; D012260:Ribonucleases; C421863:flammulin protein, Flammulina velutipes