Growing milkweed, a plant with prospective anti-cancer properties : a review of the medicinal potential of members of the Euphorbiaceae family : a report for the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation

Abstract

Executive Summary

Peplin Biotech has discovered a novel class of natural compounds, purified from Euphorbia, which show great potential in the laboratory as a potent treatment for a wide range of human cancers including breast and prostate cancer, leukaemia, melanoma and other skin cancers, as well as lung, colorectal and cervical cancer.

An early clinical trial on thick and thin non-melanoma skin cancers has confirmed that the compounds are very effective in producing long-term (possibly permanent) responses in human patients without any evident systemic toxicity when applied topically. This is highly significant because current topical methods of drug treatment require long periods of application without being fully effective, and physical methods (e.g. surgery) are expensive and difficult to apply to the large areas affected, especially in older people.

Topical treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer - basal cell carcinomas (BCC) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) - will be the first medical application of the E.peplus product. These are the most common human cancers, and most Australians will develop one or more BCC or SCC in their lifetimes. Mortality from melanoma is about 50% in the state of Queensland and morbidity is high. The treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer costs over $200 million dollars in Australia, making it the most expensive cancer. The rate of increase in skin cancer has slowed, presumably due to education in prevention measures but the incidence continues to be high and may increase with the ageing of the population. Western countries with less UV flux than Australia also have high incidences of non-melanoma skin cancer, due to sun-seeking lifestyles. In the US, the annual cost of non-melanoma skin cancer has been estimated at US$3.5 billion. There is therefore a need for a simple, reliable method of treating skin cancer on a large scale.