Broccoli Component Kills Breast Cancer Cells

University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center scientists say they’ve found a substance that could help prevent and potentially treat breast cancer. It’s not a drug or a new radiation treatment but a natural component of broccoli and broccoli sprouts.

The researchers tested the broccoli compound, known as sulforaphane, in animal studies as well as in breast cancer cell cultures in the lab. Their findings, recently published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, showed that sulforaphane not only targeted and killed cancer stem cells, but it also prevented any new malignancies from growing.

“Sulforaphane has been studied previously for its effects on cancer, but this study shows that its benefit is in inhibiting the breast cancer stem cells. This new insight suggests the potential of sulforaphane or broccoli extract to prevent or treat cancer by targeting the critical cancer stem cells,” said study author Duxin Sun, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences.

The scientists tested sulforaphane on human breast cancer cell cultures in the lab. Once again, they found the numbers of cancer stem cells plummeted after exposure to the broccoli compound.

This research suggests a potential new treatment that could be combined with other compounds to target breast cancer stem cells.