The latest work attempted to see if lycopene is truly the key ingredient. Doctors tested lycopene extracted from tomatoes on men who were about to undergo prostate cancer surgery. Researchers from the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit tested 33 men who were randomly assigned to take lycopene or nothing for 30 days before their operations. Before surgery, the volunteers showed no obvious signs that their cancer had spread. After surgery, the doctors found that cancer tissue was less likely to extend clear to the edges of the lycopene users' prostate glands, a sign that the operation may have halted cancer .
Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy among American men.
The American Cancer Society estimates that 179,300 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, and 37,000 will die from it. Kucuk presented his findings in Philadelphia at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research . He noted that his study is small and cautioned against routine use of lycopene supplements without further evidence. Lycopene pills are widely available. It's remarkable that lycopene may have both therapeutic and preventative value.