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CancerQuest > Introduction to Patient Information > An Introduction to Cancer Treatments > Introduction to Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) > CAM: Lycopene (Tomatoes)

CAM: Lycopene (Tomatoes)

Classified as:
Phytochemical, Carotenoid

Structure of Lycopene.

Intro and Background
Lycopene is the compound that gives tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) their red color. ⁽¹⁾ Watermelon, grapefruit, guava, and papaya also contain lycopene but in lower amounts. The consumption of this antioxidant has long been associated with a decreased risk in prostate cancer. ⁽²⁾ Most of the research concerning lycopene and cancer involves prostate cancer prevention. Studies have also shown that lycopene may be more effective when it is ingested from a tomato (as opposed to a supplement). ⁽³⁾

Scientific Research
When prostate cancer cells were treated with lycopene in vitro, apoptosis was induced in a significant number of the cells. ⁽⁴⁾In a study involving rats, tomato powder inhibited the creation of cancer cells, prolonged the animals' survival, and reduced animal death rates. ⁽⁵⁾ Clinical studies regarding tomatoes and lycopene show that there is not enough evidence to decide whether or not lycopene is an effective treatment for cancer. ⁽³⁾

Learn MORE about apoptosis.

There are several studies currently underway regarding lycopene. Two are investigating the prevention of prostate cancer with of the compound while another aims to see if lycopene is an effective treatment of prostate cancer. ⁽⁶⁾ For information about ongoing clinical trials involving lycopene, please visit our section on Finding Clinical Trials.

US Food and Drug Administration Approval
There is not enough evidence to support that lycopene is effective in the fight against cancer and it has not been approved by the FDA for cancer treatment. ⁽⁷⁾

*It is important to keep in mind that many cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and radiation, work by generating free radicals in order to destroy cancer cells. If a cancer patient takes antioxidants while undergoing radiation or chemotherapy treatment, it is possible that these compounds may protect tumor cells from the desired free radicals. Doctors may recommend that patients undergoing these treatments avoid antioxidants so that the treatment is as effective as possible. ⁽⁸⁾

References for this page:

1. Mueller LA, et al, (2005) The tomato sequencing project, the first cornerstone of the international solanaceae project (SOL). In: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LIFE SCIENCES. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd: Chichester [ http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/110473756/PDFSTART ]
2. Stacewicz-Sapuntzakis M, Bowen PE. Role of lycopene and tomato products in prostate health. Biochim Biophys Acta. (2005) 1740(2): 202-5. Review [PUBMED]
3. Ellinger S, Ellinger J, Stehle P. Tomatoes, tomato products and lycopene in the prevention and reatment of prostate cancer: do we have the evidence from intervention studies? Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. (2006) 9(6): 722-7. [PUBMED]
4. E. Kotake-Nara, M. Kushiro, H. Zhang, T. Sugawara, K. Miyashita, A. Nagao, Carotenoids affect proliferation of human prostate cancer cells. J. Nutr. 131 (2001) 3303 3306 [PUBMED]
5. T.W.-M. Boileau, Z. Liao, S. Kim, S. Lemeshow, J.W. Erdman Jr., S.K. Clinton. Prostate carcinogenesis in N-methyl-N-nitrosourea(NMU)-testosterone-treated rats fed tomato powder, lycopene or energy-restricted diets. Journal Natl. Cancer Inst. 95 (2003) 1578 1586 [PUBMED]
6. National Library of Medicine. (2007). ClinicalTrials.gov Retrieved June 6, 2007 from the National Institutes of Health Web Site: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/search;jsessionid=77C2E74E90EC0B1C27B8F039E1FA6244?term=lycopene%2C+tomato%2C+cancer&submit=Search
7. US Food and Drug Adminstration website. Accessed 9/10/2010 [http://www.fda.gov/]
8. Borek C. Dietary antioxidants and human cancer. Integr Cancer Ther (2004). 3: 333-341. [PUBMED]