Vitamin A could prevent the spread of prostate cancer

Scientists funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research at the University of York have discovered that retinoic acid – a chemical made from vitamin A which is supplied in our diet by carrots, green vegetables and liver – can turn specific genes within prostate cancerstem cells back on, reducing the ability of the cancer to invade surrounding tissue.

The findings suggest that Vitamin A related compounds could be used to enhance clinical treatments for prostate cancer.

Professor Norman Maitland, Director of the YCR Cancer Research Unit in the Department of Biology at York, said: “Cancer arises from healthy cells going wrong. Certain controls can be turned off which allows the cancer to progress. For example, normal cells gain the ability to grow and invade the surrounding tissues.