Head And Neck Cancers May Someday Be Treated By Asian Vegetable Extract

Laboratory animal experiments by U.S. researchers have found that an extract of an Asian vegetable may have the potential to treat head and neck cancer, a frequently aggressive form of cancer that accounts for six percent of all cancer cases. The researchers showed in mice that extract of bitter melon, a vegetable commonly used in Indian and Chinese diets, reduced the head and neck cancer cell and growth. People in Asia use the vegetable in stir fries, salads, and juices. Head and neck cancers often start in the mouth, nose, sinuses, voice box or throat. They tend to spread from one part of the head or neck to another.