Cure for cancer has sprung from an inconspicuous mushroom that cannot be swept away. Now, scientists in the United Kingdom, convinced of its promise, are getting ready to conduct clinical trials of drugs extracted from a variety of mushrooms, which could be a possible treatment for cancer.
The drugs have already proved their worth in studies conducted in China and Japan, where it has helped increase life expectancy, and shown immense promise in stomach and bowel cancers.Yet till now, scientists in the western world have tread very cautiously in this area which is why patients have been unable to reap the benefits of extracts from the mushroom in treating cancer.
It is estimated that about 4,262 patients suffer stomach and bowel cancer in Scotland. The cancer of the Bowel is known to be the second biggest killer and nearly 1500 people succumbed to the disease in 2006 in Scotland.
Scientists have planned to seek the approval of regulators to conduct clinical trials of the drugs. A team, led by Dr Bjorn Kristiansen, the CEO of Norwegian firm Medimush, are planning to begin trials in the United Kingdom in October 2007. Experts in United States have already verified the drugs and confirmed its safety.
Dr Bjorn Kristiansen said, “I would be extremely surprised if the tests are not completed by the end of the year. There is no obvious reason for the regulator to say no - there are no side-effects - so it is just a matter of time as to when we go ahead with the trials.
