Coffee May Improve Survival in Colon Cancer Patients
Drinking just a few cups of coffee every
day may improve survival rates among colon cancer patients, according to
a new study. Researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute published a
study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology where they observe that
regular caffeinated coffee can be linked to a considerable reduction in
cancer recurrence and better survival in patients with stage 3 colon
cancer.
They further mention that having four or
more cups of coffee a day may show the best results.
“We found that coffee drinkers had a lower risk of cancer coming back
and a significantly greater survival and chance of a cure,” says lead
author of the study.
Apart from the researchers from the
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, other researchers, too, were a part of
this study, including ones from the Mayo Clinic. Together, they studied
1,171 colon cancer patients in an observational study as part of a
clinical trial. They discovered that anyone who drank two or three cups
of coffee a day had a much better survival rate than patients who didn't
drink any coffee. They also found that cancer progressed more slowly in
the participants who drank coffee and was less likely to worsen.
What is the study about?
Previous research has already shown that regular coffee drinking can be
associated with lowering the risk of certain types of cancer, while also
improving metabolism and leading to fewer incidents of cardiovascular
illness. Moreover, two previous studies in 2017 and 2015 have also found
that drinking coffee was linked with better results in patients with
earlier-stage, non-metastatic colon cancer.
For this study, the researchers particularly focused on the effects of
coffee, nonherbal tea, and caffeine on cancer recurrence and mortality.
It was discovered that patients who drank around 460 milligrams of
caffeine a day had 42% fewer chances of their cancer recurring than
those who didn’t drink coffee at all. Also, those who regularly drank
coffee were 33% less likely to die from cancer or any other reason
during the follow-up period.
Our study found that patients being treated
with chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancers who drank coffee
saw a longer period of time before both growth of their cancer and
before death,” explained study co-lead author Christopher Mackintosh, a
fourth-year medical student at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine in
Phoenix.
Further analysis of the team’s results showed that the lower cancer risk
was due to the amount of caffeine consumed by the patients instead of
other components of the coffee. At present, the exact mechanism behind
these findings is unknown. However, scientists believe that coffee could
have protective effects in cancer patients because it helps lessen
insulin levels and also because it has a high antioxidant content. In
other words, more coffee intake could lead to less insulin being
required by the body and thus reduce risks of any potential
inflammation. Inflammation, it must be mentioned here, is a risk factor
for both cancer and diabetes.
The research offers hope for colon cancer
patients
Colon cancer has been on the rise in the past decade, particularly among
younger people. Adults older than 50, however, continue to be more at
risk. Metastatic colon cancer, which has spread from its original
location, remains a terminal disease in most cases. Hence, if drinking
coffee can help improve the survival rate in such patients, it is indeed
good news.
Having said that, let’s not forget that
this is an observational study. While this research team's work does
show a link between coffee and better cancer outcomes, it doesn’t prove
that coffee intake will slow down the cancer growth or will cause the
death rate to drop. More research is needed to understand the effect
coffee can have on cancer patients. Unless we have something really
substantive, we shouldn’t take coffee as a means to cure or prevent
cancer.
However, a high intake of coffee isn’t harmful and has been proven to be
beneficial. “If you are a coffee drinker and are being treated for
colon cancer, don’t stop,” says Fuchs. “But if you’re not a coffee
drinker and wondering whether to start, you should first discuss it with
your physician.”
The study does offer hope for colon cancer patients and maybe, in the
future, we will get to find a more definitive connection between coffee
consumption and improved outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer.