AHCC, Japanese mushroom extract, eradicates HPV infections in women

New research presented at the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) 11th International Conference in Houston, TX showed for the first time that it is possible to eliminate HPV infection in women using a readily available nutritional supplement, AHCC.

The study, presented by Dr. Judith A. Smith, Pharm.D., associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School, was selected for special research platform presentation as "Best of SIO."

"HPV is associated with 99% of cervical cancers as well as many other life threatening cancers," said Dr. Smith. "Patients who learn that they have HPV, and their doctors, are understandably frustrated because all we can do is monitor them for the abnormal changes associated with cancer. What we need is a safe, effective treatment for HPV before the cancer occurs."

In the study ten women who tested HPV-positive with the Cervista HPV HR Test were treated orally with the Japanese mushroom extract AHCC (active hexose correlated compound) once daily for up to six months. Five achieved a negative HPV test result - three with confirmed eradication after stopping AHCC - and the remaining two responders continue on the study.

Further investigation in a formal phase II randomized placebo controlled study is now being enrolled at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School. HPV study website.

"With this study, for the first time, we've shown it's possible to eradicate HPV in women using AHCC for only 3 months or up to 6 months," said Dr. Smith, whose research has a specific focus on the safe and effective use of nutritional and herbal supplements with pharmacologic modalities as it relates to women's health and cancer. "We've been studying the efficacy of AHCC's integration with common chemotherapy agents for over a decade, and had previously eradicated HPV infections with AHCC in three orthotopic mouse models. This study confirms the previous results," she said.

AHCC works as an immunotherapy that uses a body's own immune system to help fight disease. Human and in-vivo studies have shown that AHCC increases the number and/or activity of Natural Killer (NK) cells, dendritic cells, and cytokines, which enable the body to effectively respond to infections and block the proliferation of tumors.

Dr. Smith's research findings were chosen for presentation in the "Best of SIO" session on October 28, 2014 from a record number of abstracts submitted for the 11th International Conference in Houston, Texas. The Society for Integrative Oncology is the leading worldwide organization dedicated to integrative medicine specific to cancer patients.

HPV (human papilloma virus) is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the United States. Up to 70% of sexually active adults will acquire HPV at some point in their lives. Human papillomavirus DNA has been detected in 99.7% of cervical cancer biopsies, yielding the largest causative relationship of any cancer. (1) According to the Centers for Disease Control, several other cancers are related to HPV, including 95 percent of anal cancer, 60 percent of oropharyngeal cancer, 65 percent of vaginal cancer, 50 percent of vulvar cancer and 35 percent of penile cancer.