• 6/12/2006
  • Rome, Italy
  • Kathy Jones
  • Foodconsumer.org

Folic acid supplements could halt some laryngeal lesions from progressing to cancer and could even promote regression of disease, according to a new study by researchers at the Sacro Cuore Catholic University in Rome, Italy.

The researchers studied the effect of folic acid supplements on laryngeal leucoplakia, which is a precancerous lesion that occurs as a white patch. Smokers are particularly prone to these lesions and might benefit from taking folic acid as a preventative measure, the researchers said.

The study had 43 patients diagnosed with glottic laryngeal leucoplakia. Researchers assigned these patients to receive 5 mg of folate supplements every eight hours for six months. All patients were examined every 30 days. Blood tests were done periodically to ensure the volunteers were taking their supplements as assigned.

The researchers report that thirty-one out of 43 patients with laryngeal leukoplakia had a 50 percent or greater reduction in patch size at the end of six months. The detailed report appears in the online edition of the journal Cancer.

* The small study found that 12 people did not respond to folic acid supplementation.
* Of the remaining, 19 had a partial response and 12 had a complete response.
* There was no evidence of the original white patches after 6 months of folic acid therapy in the latter group.

“Folate supplementation, alone or in combination with other chemopreventive drugs, could effectively reduce the risk of progression in an already genetically altered mucosa, especially in patients with hypofolatemia,” lead researcher Dr. Giovanni Almadori from Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Policlinico A. Gemelli, said.

He added that in previous studies, patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer or laryngeal leukoplakia have had lower than normal levels of folate in the blood, “Our results are encouraging because we obtained a complete response rate of 27% and never observed any clinical or histologic progression during a six-month treatment.”

Dr Almadori admitted that conventional methods of removing lesions including surgery are more effective than folic acid supplements, but folic acid would have fewer side effects than the drugs. “We are talking about prevention, not treatment.”

But he warned that the study was on a small scale and no firm conclusions could be drawn. The researchers are planning to conduct a larger trial to test out their hypothesis.

Experts feel that while the findings are encouraging, they might not be significant enough, “It’s an early study. It appears to benefit a very small number of people, and in some people with leukoplakia, it naturally goes away anyway. I really can’t tell you if it’s good for you or bad for you,” said Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, La.

“Few people are folic-acid deficient now that it’s being added to breads and cereals. I think this study, once again, teaches us that we need to do large, randomized studies to see if things really work before we start taking them,” he added.

About Folic Acid
* Folic acid is also called vitamin B-9. It is abundant in green leafy vegetables, fruits, poultry, pork, shellfish and wheat bran and other whole grains.

* It is routinely is added to flour in the US and other countries.

* Folic acid s necessary for the production of red blood cells and for the synthesis of DNA and works with other vitamins to help the body digest and utilize proteins and to synthesize new proteins when they are needed.

* Folic acid deficiency may cause poor growth, graying hair, inflammation of the tongue (glossitis), mouth ulcers, peptic ulcer, and diarrhea. It may also lead to certain types of anemias.

About Leukoplakia
* Leukoplakia is a precancerous lesion that presents as a white patch.

*It occurs due to smoking or other tobacco use (smoker’s keratosis). Pipe smoking involves a high risk for development of leukoplakia, as does holding chewing tobacco or snuff in the mouth for a prolonged period of time.

* It is basically an area where the mucous membrane has changed its character and could progress to cancer.

* Surgical removal of the lesion is usually the preferred treatment.