A Major Milestone in Prostate Cancer Care — Groundbreaking Study Published on Modified Citrus Pectin  


Dan Rubin, ND, FABNO

Prostate cancer…many of us know someone who is dealing with or who has successfully managed their prostate cancer. Why? This disease has become so prevalent in the past few decades that it’s now the second most common cancer in men worldwide — and it continues to be one of the top causes of cancer deaths in men.  

According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, 1 in 9 men will have the disease at some point in their life. Age plays a big role in prostate cancer — roughly 60% of all prostate cancer cases are found in men over age 65.1    

Although recent improvements in diagnosis and therapy have given men many further and hopeful advantages, alternatives for those with a particularly difficult form of prostate cancer — known as biochemically relapsed prostate cancer without metastatic disease (BRPC-M0) — have historically been scarce.    

In these men, hormonal therapies are often employed; however, these strategies can come with serious or aggravating side effects. Therefore, non-conventional approaches or options that do not rely on hormonal pathways have become critical.   

A recently published clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of the positively researched form of modified citrus pectin supplement has shown great promise for men with BRPC-M0. These findings, derived from the last phase of an 18-month phase II clinical trial conducted at multiple oncology centers, were originally presented at the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Genitourinary Cancer Symposium and subsequently published online in theJournal of Clinical Oncology in February 2023.2  

The significance of a dietary supplement being studied in a multi-oncology center clinical trial, and furthermore, being published in a respected cancer medical journal, represents a groundbreaking advancement in integrative cancer research.  

The final results of the long-term clinical trial are equally remarkable. The study, which concluded in August 2023, showcased the exceptional benefits of the researched form of modified citrus pectin supplement in combating the progression of prostate cancer and reducing PSA doubling time (PSADT) in men with BRPC-M0.  

 A Deeper Dive into the Study’s Results  

The completed research findings, published in the prestigious journal Nutrients, boasting an impact factor of 5.7, have shed light on the potential of modified citrus pectin as a nutritional intervention. Over a span of 18 months, a group of researchers closely monitored the progress of 59 patients diagnosed with BRPC-M0 who consistently consumed 4.8 grams of the original, researched form of modified citrus pectin, three times daily.3  

The initial results, which were published in October 2021, showed promising outcomes. Among the participants, an astonishing 78% responded positively to the modified citrus pectin, with 58% experiencing a reduction or stabilization in PSA levels. Furthermore, 75% observed an improvement in PSADT along with negative scan results.  

For the final phase of the trial, 39 patients continued taking modified citrus pectin for an additional 12 months. A staggering 90% of these individuals exhibited response to treatment with improvement or stabilization of PSADT, 62% had decreased or stabilized PSA, and 85% had no disease progression, biochemically and in scans.  

Note as well, there were no reports of grade 3/4 toxicities observed throughout the entire study period.  

The Potential of Modified Citrus Pectin to Transform Prostate Cancer Treatment  

This highly significant clinical trial is a meaningful achievement as it sheds light on the substantial advantages and safety of a specific type of modified citrus pectin — a non-hormonal treatment — in the management of men with non-metastatic biochemically relapsed prostate cancer. The findings contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting the potential of modified citrus pectin in integrative cancer treatment.   

Given the potential toxicities of therapeutic options for this patient population and the risks associated with hormonal interventions in men with BPRC-M0, the researched form of modified citrus pectin supplement appears as an effective treatment option with fewer complications. Furthermore, modified citrus pectin can be safely combined with other prostate cancer treatments, including hormone-based methods.  

“These results continue to demonstrate MCP is safe and effective in biochemically relapsed prostate cancer. Additional clinical research in this area is planned,” says Dr. Daniel Keizman, principal investigator. 

One of modified citrus pectin’s key modes of action is its ability to “turn off” galectin-3, one of the body’s main inflammatory and oncogenic proteins. Galectin-3 plays an essential role in the body’s survival mechanism, triggering an inflammatory response to stimulate healing in cases of physical or emotional trauma. However, multiple factors — including exposure to toxins, stressors of many types, infection and severe illness — can imbalance this biological response. These types of situations may result in an overproduction of galectin-3 followed by a cascade of chronic inflammation and progression to fibrosis, which could interfere with health and cause cellular damage over time. 

With more than 80 published studies and 30 years of clinical use, this specific form of modified citrus pectin has become one of the most extensively researched dietary supplements, showcasing its clinically relevant benefits in various areas of health, including cancer, cardiovascular health, and kidney health. The prostate cancer study further contributes to the growing body of evidence supporting this unique nutrient’s potential in the greater community of oncology care.4-6  

References 

  1. American Institute for Cancer Research Website. Prostate Cancer. Updated November 10, 2020. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://www.aicr.org/cancer-survival/cancer/prostate-cancer/  
  2. Daniel Keizman, Moshe A. Frenkel, Avivit Peer, et al. P-MCP treatment in non-metastatic biochemically relapsed prostate cancer (BRPC-M0): Final long-term results of a prospective phase II study. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2023 Feb 21; 41(6) Suppl.162. doi: https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2023.41.6_suppl.162  
  3. Keizman D, Frenkel M, Peer A, Rosenbaum E, Sarid D, Leibovitch I, Mano R, Yossepowitch O, Wolf I, Geva R, Margel D, Rouvinov K, Stern A, Dresler H, Kushnir I, Eliaz I. Modified Citrus Pectin Treatment in Non-Metastatic Biochemically Relapsed Prostate Cancer: Long-Term Results of a Prospective Phase II Study. Nutrients. 2023 Aug 11;15(16):3533. doi: 10.3390/nu15163533. PMID: 37630724; PMCID: PMC10459199.  
  4. Li Y, Zhou WW, Sun JH, Yang HX, Xu GR, Zhang Y, Song QH, Zhang C, Liu WZ, Liu XC, Li AY. Modified citrus pectin prevents isoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy associated with p38 signaling and TLR4/JAK/STAT3 pathway. Biomed Pharmacother. 2021 Nov;143:112178. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.112178. Epub 2021 Sep 25. PMID: 34649308.  
  5. Haibing Sun, Jinyu Peng, Shuhan Cai, Qi Nie, Tianlong Li, John A. Kellum, Isaac Eliaz, Zhiyong Peng. A translational study of Galectin-3 as an early biomarker and potential therapeutic target for ischemic-reperfusion induced acute kidney injury. Journal of Critical Care. 2021; 65:192-199.  doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrc.2021.06.013.  
  6. Wang L, Li YS, Yu LG, Zhang XK, Zhao L, Gong FL, Yang XX, Guo XL. Galectin-3 expression and secretion by tumor-associated macrophages in hypoxia promotes breast cancer progression. Biochem Pharmacol. 2020 Aug;178:114113. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2020.114113. Epub 2020 Jun 21. PMID: 32579956.  

Published April 20, 2024

About the Author

Daniel Rubin, ND, is a naturopathic doctor based in Scottsdale, Arizona. His naturopathic oncology practice has been an integral part of the Phoenix metropolitan medical community for the past 20 years. After graduating from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (SCNM) in 1997, Dr. Rubin returned to SCNM to complete his residency.  

In 2004, he became the Founding President of the Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians (OncANP). The OncANP represented a revolution for the field of naturopathic oncology providing, for the first time, definition, validation and standardization of the field of naturopathic oncology. Since that time Dr. Rubin has become an internationally recognized naturopathic oncologist.

Dr. Rubin is co-Founder (along with his wife, Debi Smolinski, ND) and Medical Director of Naturopathic Specialists, LLC, in Scottsdale, AZ, where he practices full-time as a naturopathic oncologist. At present, Naturopathic Specialists has served the clinical and logistical oncology needs of people from all 50 states as well as 19 countries.