New Delhi: According to a new study, tomato extracts can inhibit the growth and malignant cloning of stomach cancer cells and pave the way for novel therapies to treat the deadly disease. Researchers analyzed whole tomato extracts for their ability to tackle gastric cancer cell lines.

The study was conducted by Daniela Barone, researcher at the Oncology Research Centre of Mercogliano (CROM) in Italy, “Their antitumor effect seems not related to specific components, such as lycopene, but rather suggests that tomatoes should be considered in their entirety.”

Tomato extracts inhibit the growth of stomach cancer: study

Extracts of San Marzano and Corbarino tomato varieties were able to inhibit the growth and cloning behaviour of malignant cells.

Treatment done with the whole tomato extracts affected key processes within the cells hindering their migration ability, arresting cell cycle through the modulation of retinoblastoma family proteins and specific cell cycle inhibitors, and ultimately inducing cancer cell death through apoptosis.

As per Antonio Giordano, professor at the University of Siena in Italy, “Our results prompt further assessment of the potential use of specific nutrients not only in the cancer prevention setting but also as a supportive strategy along with conventional therapies,” Distinct species may exert different effects in different stages of a certain neoplasm.

Gastric cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer worldwide and has been associated with genetic causes, Helicobacter pylori infection, and eating habits, such as consumption of smoked and salted food.

Tomatoes are consumed worldwide and are a staple of the Mediterranean diet, which is popularly thought to lower cancer risk.

Various tomato components have also been analyzed for their ability to counteract tumor growth in experimental systems, although few studies have analyzed the effects of tomatoes in their entirety.