As HealthandAge reported yesterday, a team of U.S. researchers has determined that a gene pathway called PI3K is activated in the airways of smokers with lung cancer and testing for PI3K activation may be a way to predict or diagnose lung cancer. According to this same study published April 7 in the journal Science Translational Medicine, treatment with an inexpensive and widely-available natural supplement may reverse PI3K pathway activation and help to prevent lung cancer in high-risk smokers.

In addition to finding that PI3K activity is increased in normal airway cells of smokers with lung cancer, the researchers found that PI3K pathway activity was significantly increased in actual lung cancer tissue compared to the normal tissue surrounding it. The researchers also discovered that PI3K pathway activation is already present in smokers with mild to moderate airway dysplasia. Dysplasia is a term describing cell abnormalities that are noncancerous but are often considered to be precancerous. These findings suggest that deregulation of the PI3K pathway is an event that occurs early in the development of lung cancer and persists as the lung cancer continues to grow.

In order to find out whether reducing PI3K pathway activity could prevent lung cancer, the researchers examined the airways smokers with dysplasia who were treated with myo-inositol, a natural supplement that is thought at act as a PI3K inhibitor. The researchers found that, among smokers whose dysplasia regressed after treatment with myo-inositol, PI3K activity also decreased.

Based on the findings of this study, myo-inositol seems to inhibit PI3K activity, leading to regression or reversal of airway dysplasia and possible lung cancer prevention. Myo-inositol is an oral supplement that is well-tolerated for long-term treatment and widely available in health food stores. It is also found in fruits, beans, grains, and nuts. If the lung cancer preventive effects of myo-inositol can be confirmed in larger trials, this inexpensive supplement may help to decrease the development of lung cancer in smokers.

Source:

Science Translational Medicine 7 April 2010.