UPM RESEARCHERS FIND SUBSTANCE IN WILD GINGER PLANT TO TREAT CERVICAL CANCER

SERDANG (Selangor, Malaysia), Jan 19 (Bernama) -- A group of six researchers of
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) has found a natural substance from a local
herbal plant, "lempoyang", a type of wild ginger, to treat and prevent cervical
cancer.

The team leader, Dr Ahmad Bustamam Abdul, said this natural substance had a
treatment effect similar to that of commercial anti-cancer drugs often used to
treat cervical cancer patients.

He said the lab results proved that this natural substance, if used in high
doses would not damage normal body cells and could reduce complications often
faced by cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

"This substance has been pre-clinically tested on laboratory animals and proved
that it can provide a highly safe therapeutic dose, besides being able to kill
cancer cells just like the commercial anti-cancer drugs."

He said this when announcing the findings of the research for treatment and
prevention of cervical cancer at the Institute of Bioscience, here, Tuesday.

Dr Ahmad Bustamam said with the discovery of the new medicine, the cost of
cancer treatment, particularly cervical cancer, would be lower than that by
using imported drugs which were known to be quite costly.

"Besides, it is also compatible with chemotherapy treatment," he added.

According to him, the substance could also be commercialised as douches and
vaginal suppository products.

"The substance is now in the final stage of being developed as a commercial
product.

"It is hoped that local pharmaceutical companies will take the opportunity to
market this natural anti-cancer product at the global level," he said, adding
that the research began in 2002 and was completed at the end of last year.
-- BERNAMA