Interesting idea. There is also some hints about the use of Bee
Propolis (available supplement) as a chemopreventative (this was
mentioned in the previous post) I will follow up on later, e.g. see

Mutat Res 2001 May;488(2):135-50
Anti-genotoxicity of galangin as a cancer chemopreventive agent
candidate.

Heo MY, Sohn SJ, Au WW.

College of Pharmacy, Kangwon National University, Chunchon 200, South
Korea. h0858my@...

Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds that are present in plants.
They have been shown to possess a variety of biological activities at
non-toxic concentrations in organisms. Galangin, a member of the
flavonol class of flavonoid, is present in high concentrations in
medicinal plants (e.g. Alpinia officinarum) and propolis, a natural
beehive product. Results from in vitro and in vivo studies indicate
that galangin with anti-oxidative and free radical scavenging
activities is capable of modulating enzyme activities and suppressing
the genotoxicity of chemicals. These activities will be discussed in
this review. Based on our review, galangin may be a promising
candidate for cancer chemoprevention.
PMID: 11344041
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Honey could help prevent tumors

Patients having colon-cancer surgery could someday benefit


ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dec. 14 — A provocative Turkish study suggests that using honey as an
ointment during a certain type of colon-cancer surgery can help
prevent tumors from recurring. While the research was done in mice
and no one expects hospitals to start stocking operating rooms with
honey jars, honey has been used as a folk remedy for healing since
biblical times.

A MAYO CLINIC cancer expert said the results, though
preliminary, are too fascinating to be dismissed.
The research was aimed at improving the safety of laparoscopic
surgery, an increasingly popular technique that involves tiny keyhole
incisions and skinny instruments.
Enthusiasm for the technique has been tempered by some reports
that laparoscopy for colon cancer can itself cause tumors to develop
in the abdominal wall, along the path the surgical instruments took.
The Turkish researchers suggest honey might work as a barrier
to tumor cells when it is spread in the incisions. The findings,
based on a study of 60 mice, were published in December's issue of
the Archives of Surgery.
Dr. Tonia Young-Fadok, a Mayo Clinic surgeon participating in
a U.S. study on whether laparoscopic surgery for colon cancer can
cause new tumors, said substances in honey might actually help
dissolve tumor cells.
"It's not clear what the power of honey is, but there's
certainly something here that's of interest," Young-Fadok said.
Laparoscopies are being used increasingly to treat a variety
of conditions that formerly required major operations. Skinny
instruments and a slender viewing tube called a laparoscope are
inserted through tiny incisions. Carbon dioxide gas is injected into
the body cavity to cause the abdomen to swell, creating a work space
for surgeons.
Colon tumors are essentially the only type of cancer for which
doctors use laparoscopy.
Some theorize that the gas might cause cancer cells to shift
location and form tumors. Others suggest that inexperienced surgeons
might inadvertently cause malignant cells to implant as they extract
the tumor.

Young-Fadok said some research has found that tumors occur
in less than 1 percent of cases and that when the laparoscopy is done
by experienced surgeons, the risk is essentially zero.

STUDY DETAILS
In the Turkish study, led by Dr. Ismail Hamzaoglu of Istanbul
University, researchers injected the mice with air, made neck
incisions and injected the animals with tumor cells. The researchers
spread honey inside the incisions in one group of mice before and
after the injections.
All 30 mice without honey developed tumors, compared with only
eight of the 30 honey-treated mice.
In a commentary accompanying the study, Chicago plastic
surgeon Dr. Thomas Mustoe noted that other research has suggested
honey has anti-bacterial properties and may be an effective treatment
for burns.
The study "highlights another potential use," Mustoe said.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Arch Surg 2000 Dec;135(12):1414-7
Protective covering of surgical wounds with honey impedes tumor
implantation.

Hamzaoglu I, Saribeyoglu K, Durak H, Karahasanoglu T, Bayrak I, Altug
T, Sirin F, Sariyar M.

Department of Surgery, Cerrahpasa Medical School, Istanbul
University, E-2/3 A-9 34750, 5. Kisim Atakoy, Istanbul, Turkey.
hulya@...

HYPOTHESIS: Tumor implantation (TI) development at the surgical wound
following cancer surgery is still an unresolved concern. Trocar site
recurrence, which is likely a form of TI, has become one of the most
controversial topics and, with the widespread acceptance of
laparoscopic surgery, has caused renewed interest in questions about
TI. Honey has positive effects on wound healing. Physiological and
chemical properties of honey might prevent TI when applied locally.
DESIGN, INTERVENTIONS, AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sixty BALB/c strain
mice, divided into 2 groups, were wounded in the posterior neck area.
Group 1 mice formed the control group, and group 2 mice had wounds
coated with honey before and after tumor inoculation. All wounds were
inoculated with transplantable Ehrlich ascites tumor. The presence of
TI was confirmed in the wounded area by histopathological examination
on the 10th day. RESULTS: Tumor implantation was achieved in all
group 1 animals and verified by palpable mass and histopathological
examination. In group 2 mice, although TI could not be detected
macroscopically, it was revealed by pathological examination in 8
cases. Tumor implantation was less likely in group 2 mice (8 of 30 vs
30 of 30; P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Tumor implantation was markedly
decreased by the application of honey pre- and postoperatively. It is
possible that the physiological and chemical properties of honey
protected wounds against TI. Honey could be used as a wound barrier
against TI during pneumoperitoneum in laparoscopic oncological
surgery and in other fields of oncological surgery.

PMID: 11115344