New treatment for cervical tumours
a compound extracted from red algae (Kappaphycus alvarezii), which is grown widely in coastal Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, can cure cervical cancer, claims a study by a team of German and us oncologists. Cervical cancer accounts for almost a quarter of all cancer incidents among Indian women.
Lab studies showed that carrageenan, a cheap gelling agent found in the algae, is almost a thousand times more effective than heparin, the drug considered the best option against human papillomavirus (hpv) that causes cervical cancer. Carrageenan is also used as a thickener in sex lubricants and lubricated condoms.
Scientists from the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, and Forschungsschwerpunkt f