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Dietary Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Cancer pp 149–166Cite as

ω-3 PUFAs: Interventional Trials for the Prevention and Treatment of Breast and Prostate Cancer

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Part of the book series: Diet and Cancer ((DICA,volume 1))

Abstract

Due to global changes in dietary sources and habits, the human diet has shifted to include an unfavorable ratio of ω-6 to ω-3 PUFAs. This is believed to have drastic consequences on health, increasing the risk for cardiovascular and inflammation-related diseases as well as cancer. Epidemiology and experimental studies suggest that ω-3 PUFAs are protective against certain types of cancer, including colon, breast, and prostate cancer. The available data have motivated the recent implementation of interventional clinical trials where cancer patients or individuals at high risk of developing cancer receive dietary ω-3 PUFA supplementation. In this review, we summarize the objectives of ongoing and recently closed clinical trials of ω-3 PUFA supplements for breast and prostate cancer prevention and treatment that are listed in the ClinicalTrials.gov database, a registry of federally and privately supported clinical trials conducted in the United States and worldwide (http://clinicaltrials.gov/).

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Abbreviations

ADH:

atypical ductal hyperplasia

ALA:

α-linolenic acid

CAM:

complementary and alternative medicines

COX-2:

cyclooxygenase-2

DCIS:

ductal carcinoma in situ

DHA:

docosahexaenoic acid

EPA:

eicosapentaenoic acid

eIF2α:

eukaryotic initiation factor 2α

ER:

estrogen receptor

FASN:

fatty acid synthase

HER2:

human epidermal growth factor receptor 2

IGF-1:

insulin-like growth factor-1

IGFIR:

insulin-like growth factor I receptor

IGFBP-3:

insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3

IL-6:

interleukin-6

Ki-67:

proliferation marker

PAI-1:

plasminogen activator inhibitor 1

PR:

progesterone receptor

PSA:

prostate-specific antigen

PUFA:

poly-unsaturated fatty acid

RBC:

red blood cells

SHBG:

sex hormone-binding globulin

SREBP:

sterol response element-binding protein

TUNEL:

terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labelling

tPA:

tissue plasminogen activator

VEGF:

vascular endothelial growth factor

vWF:

von Willebrand factor.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Cancer Biology and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

    Isabelle M. Berquin

  2. Departments of Pathology and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

    Iris J. Edwards & Yong Q. Chen

  3. Departments of Internal Medicine and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

    Joseph T. O’Flaherty

Authors
  1. Isabelle M. Berquin
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  2. Iris J. Edwards
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  3. Joseph T. O’Flaherty
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  4. Yong Q. Chen
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto di Patologia Generale, Università Cattolica Sacro Cuore - Roma, Largo F. Vito 1, Roma, 00168, Italy

    Gabriella Calviello

  2. Istituto di Patologia Generale, Università Cattolica Sacro Cuore - Roma, Largo F. Vito 1, Roma, 00168, Italy

    Simona Serini

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Berquin, I.M., Edwards, I.J., O’Flaherty, J.T., Chen, Y.Q. (2010). ω-3 PUFAs: Interventional Trials for the Prevention and Treatment of Breast and Prostate Cancer. In: Calviello, G., Serini, S. (eds) Dietary Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Cancer. Diet and Cancer, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3579-0_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3579-0_6

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