The fruit that’s treating skin cancers

Back in the late 1970s, biochemist Bill E. Cham, PhD, ran across a piece of Australian backcountry folklore. 

It seemed farmers had learned a way of successfully treating eye, nose and skin cancers in their cattle from the native Aborigines. They made a poultice from the fruits of a weed called Devil’s Apple (Solanum linnaeanum), applied it, and that was that. No more cancers. 

Intrigued by the story, Cham spent the next 10 years investigating the properties of the fruit, which is part of the nightshade family (Solanaceae) that includes eggplant, potatoes and tomatoes. He eventually isolated the active agent—solasodine rhamnosyl glycosides (SRGs)—which was most easily obtained and extracted from eggplant. 

In the process, Cham discovered a new class of antineoplastics (a substance that prevents or inhibits the formation of tumors). He first published his research in 1987 and focused on developing a standardized mixture of these SRGs that he patented as BEC, eventually creating a topical cream for non-melanoma skin cancers he called CuradermBEC5.

Preclinical test tube studies showed that BEC selectively killed a broad spectrum of human cancer cell lines without harming normal cells. Subsequent research with mice and rats and then horses showed that BEC cured tumors in animals. Human trials were begun and showed conclusively that CuradermBEC5 was a safe therapy for basal cell carcinomas, with a cure rate of 78 percent at one-year follow-up.1 

Over the last 20 years, studies have consistently shown that CuradermBEC5 is “safe and effective when treating a variety of cancers,” including non-melanoma skin cancers. It is also cytotoxic against multi-drug resistant tumor cells.2 

One study shows that solasodine, one of the SRGs in CuradermBEC5, has a suppressive effect on colorectal cancer cells and that this agent may be a novel therapeutic drug for the treatment of colorectal cancer.3 In animal studies, combination therapy with SRGs and chemotherapy has been used as a treatment against drug-resistant cells such as lung cancer and breast cancer cells. In addition to triggering cancer cell death, SRGs were also found to stimulate lasting immunity against cancer in mice with sarcoma, a usually fatal cancer of the bone and connective tissues.4 

So far, Dr Cham and other researchers have published over 100 articles on the clinical effects of SRGs. “We’ve only had confirmation and extension of our work in terms of the potential for the treatment of terminal tumors,” Cham says. “When we first started, we were the first to report about solasodine. Now if you do a search on the Internet you’ll find there are thousands and thousands of references to solasodine glycosides’ anticancer effects.”  

Patients who have been treated with CuradermBEC5 for basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas have been followed up for five years and have not shown any recurrences.5 Together these two types of skin cancer, found in the lower (basal) and upper (squamous) parts of the epidermis (the outermost layer of the skin), account for about 95 percent of all skin cancer diagnoses. 

Aside from mild prickling sensations when first applied, CuradermBEC5 has no side-effects.  

No skin off his nose 

A year ago it became apparent to London physician Dr Damien Downing that he had a basal cell carcinoma on his nose. He went to go see a dermatologist who concurred with his diagnosis. 

“I’d suggested Curaderm to a few patients over the years,” says Downing. “One gentleman, a Celtic skin type who was bald and very fair with freckles, had about 10 basal cell carcinomas on his head. He used Curaderm and that took care of them. So I asked the dermatologist if I could use it too.”

After doing some research, the dermatologist agreed that Curaderm would be a good way approach to treatment. “I put it on every day for about 10 weeks and did exactly what it says in the literature,” says Downing. “Occasionally the skin around the lesion got a little bit irritated and prickled a bit when I used it, but that was all.

“The lump gradually went down until it was actually a crater. Then it healed over. Now there’s a very flat, barely raised circle of skin where it was, and it’s fine.”

An effective, humane treatment

Globally, skin cancer is the most common form of human cancer, and the incidence of skin cancer is higher than all other cancers combined. Current accepted treatments include surgical excision or removal of the cancer along with some additional healthy skin around the border. Mohs surgery is a commonly used procedure that removes skin cancer one micro-layer at a time. Each removed slice is checked under a microscope for cancer cells until a depth is reached where none are found. 

Radiation, cryosurgical freezing with liquid nitrogen and electrosurgery, photodynamic therapy, laser surgery, the use of the chemotherapy cream fluorouracil (5-FU) and the topical immune response modifier imiquimod are also frequently recommended. 

Most of these treatments leave scarring because it’s very difficult to determine where the cancer cells leave off and healthy skin starts. Erring on the side of safety, most standard interventions end up killing off healthy skin around the lesion as well as the cancer. Even with the highly popular and seemingly meticulous Mohs surgical approach, cancer cells frequently go undetected, which is why recurrence rates for basal call carcinoma can be as high as 40 percent.

“I’ve had some elderly patients who had the Mohs procedure, and it would never heal,” says Dr Erin Singh, a naturopathic physician at Options Naturopathic Clinic in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. “I had one lady who didn’t want to go have the Mohs procedure done again, so we used the Curaderm. At the final point of healing with the Curaderm, we then switched over to a blend of CBD, vitamin A and castor oil, a little product we make up called Dermascale. Overall, it’s definitely a gentler form of healing.”

Most anticancer drugs kill cells by interfering with cell mitosis, a natural process where cells divide and replicate. The drugs change the DNA inside cancer cells to keep them from growing and multiplying. Unfortunately, chemotherapy drugs kill not only cancer cells but also normal cells while they are dividing. 

Curaderm’s mechanism is quite different. It kills cancer cells regardless of whether they are dividing or resting. And it only kills cancer cells, not normal healthy cells in the body. It accomplishes this because cancer cells have large numbers of a specific receptor for SRGs on their surface, called BEC receptors. The SRGs are then drawn inside the cancer cell and taken up by lysosomes (organelles in the cytoplasm filled with digestive enzymes to break down large molecules). 

Solasodine, the most researched SRG, causes the lysosomes to rupture, spilling enzymes into the cancer cell which then basically disassemble it from within, causing cell death. Because normal cells almost completely lack this particular receptor, they remain unaffected.

“Dr Cham found that these glycoalkaloids, which are actually sugars, were being absorbed by the cancer cell, and it was killing them,” says Christopher Clark, founder of BioNational Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a UK distributor for CuradermBEC5. “But it doesn’t do it by toxic effect, and this is what’s so nice about this product. Plus, it is able to differentiate between healthy cells and cancerous cells. Because cancer cells have all these BEC receptors, they absorb BEC5 like a person overeating until the cells burst. And that’s what kills the cancer.”

Clark says he’s used Curaderm successfully himself. “I had a couple of spots on my leg and most recently a spot on the side of my nose. I used the Curaderm each time and precisely followed the instructions. Today I can’t find where the spot on my nose even was. I look in the mirror and can’t see anything.”

As the cancer cells are dying during treatment, normal cells immediately replace them. “That’s why the cosmetic effect using the Curaderm is so impressive,” says Cham. “After treatment you won’t even know that you had a cancer there.”

Avoiding skin cancers

Virtually every medical source says that most skin cancers are caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from sunlight and tanning beds damaging the skin’s DNA. And then there are doctors like Erin Singh who talk about the sun’s benefits. 

“We need the sun for our health,” she says. “We need it to make vitamin D. Yes, people can burn, and you should protect your skin. But before you apply your sun block, be sure to be in the sun for 15 minutes to soak up some healthy rays.”  

Ten minutes of direct sun exposure can stimulate production of 10,000 IU vitamin D in the body. Then, Dr Singh continues, “Whatever product you use, make sure it’s based with zinc oxide or titanium oxide, whose particles are too large to be absorbed through the skin.”

Avoid skincare products with a lot of toxic ingredients in them like methyl parabens, which mimic estrogens and have been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer and fertility problems. Even common moisturizing creams have been found to increase the risk of skin cancer by up to 95 percent in mice.1 

“Your skin is like a million little mouths soaking everything up,” says Singh. “We can’t just put garbage on our skin without asking any questions. And the same thing goes for soaps. We don’t need soap all over every inch of our body every day. Pits and parts—that’s all you need to really clean.” 

She says the same rationale applies to dermatologists when they treat skin cancer with products like 5-FU (5-fluorouracil, trade name Efudex)—a topical chemotherapy agent that is absorbed by the body and can then upset the immune system.

Aside from these commonsense approaches, Singh advises people who are concerned about skin cancer to keep their immune and metabolic systems in tip-top shape. If need be, get assessed by a metabolic terrain-centric physician. “Check under the hood and do a basic assessment,” she says. “And if you’re sun sensitive, know that it’s a sign that something is seriously imbalanced in your body. People shouldn’t be that sensitive to the sun, and if they are, it is partly to do with gut permeability, autoimmunity issues and a whole host of other things.”

Get the right sun block

SPF, UVA, UVB, UVC . . . what’s the real scoop on ultraviolet (UV) light and sun protection factor (SPF)? Dangerous short-wavelength UVC is completely filtered by the Earth’s atmosphere and does not reach us. Medium-wavelength UVB is responsible for delayed tanning and burning and doesn’t penetrate beyond the outer layers of our skin. 

Longer-wavelength UVA, which accounts for about 95 percent of the UV radiation affecting us, penetrates into the deeper layers of the skin, creating tanning (not burning), but also contributing to skin aging and wrinkling. And yet most active ingredients in sunscreen protect only against UVB. 

The famous SPF rating has nothing to do with UVA light. Unless your sunscreen touts itself as “broad-spectrum,” it only guards against UVB.

Worse, many chemical-laden sunscreen products that are supposed to shield us from harmful cancer-causing UV rays possibly end up causing cancer themselves. In 2019, the FDA tested popular sunscreens and sun blocks and discovered that many of the common UV filters—including avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene and ecamsule—are absorbed system-wide by the body in enormous amounts, staying in the bloodstream for over three weeks after the last application. 

Oxybenzone was found at more than 180 times higher than the FDA’s limit after a single application of sunscreen, rising to 500 times the FDA’s level of concern after four days of normal use.1 Testing has shown that many of the chemical ingredients in the FDA study can disrupt hormones leading to fertility problems, poor birth outcomes for babies and perhaps even cancer. 

What to do? Get natural mineral-based sun blocks (not sunscreens) that have zinc oxide or titanium oxide as the main active ingredient. 

These products have come a long way from the greasy white paste grandmother slathered on our noses when we were kids. Nowadays many mineral-based products are invisible once rubbed on the skin. 

And instead of questionable chemicals entering your bloodstream, you’ll find a lot of nutrient-rich ingredients like vitamin E, hyaluronic acid, and antioxidant-rich blueberry, acai and green tea extracts for protection against free radicals.

A holistic approach

After over 30 years of successful testing and clinical studies, CuradermBEC5 is still not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is, however, widely available from various retailers online both in the US and internationally. In the UK the product is sold under the name Zycure. 

Despite the numerous online testimonials from seemingly satisfied customers who have used the product on their own with no medical supervision or advice, many doctors are more cautious in their approach. “Like with everything, treating skin cancer isn’t straightforward,” says Singh. “It’s definitely dependent upon the person as a whole and what else they’re doing with their health. 

“I’m not really comfortable doing anything without getting at least some basic blood work done, which is pretty intensive compared to the blood work most conventional doctors order. This would also include checking inflammatory markers and mitochondrial function markers to really see if somebody has a systemic cancer process going on. Ideally we would look at a metabolic panel as well before proceeding with treatment. Then I’d have them start using the Curaderm.”

For patients who get a little worried about eating eggplant after learning about solasodine glycoalkaloids, Singh is reassuring. “Yes, these alkaloids can be toxic in high doses. But what you’re doing with the Curaderm is you’re giving a very tiny dose, which basically signals the rest of the body saying, ‘Hey, wake up immune system. Come here and do something.’ Which is how nature works. Nature is all about communicating, signaling, with cells talking to each other. 

“Humans have been eating nightshades for many millennia. They’re not good for people who have autoimmune broken systems and permeable guts because their system doesn’t work properly. But the dose in Curaderm is small and very localized.”

Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas do not return in the same spot if properly treated successfully with Curaderm, unlike many other skin cancer treatments. But that doesn’t mean you might not get lesions on other areas of the body. If you get a lot of skin cancers cropping up, you most likely need to check out your immune system function. 

Also make sure you are getting sufficient vitamin D as well as some zinc and some selenium in your diet. And if you’re at all concerned about a melanoma, by all means go to the doctor to have it checked out. Although melanomas only occur in one percent of skin cancers, it’s definitely better to be safe than sorry.

On the nose

A 78-year-old woman had a 2 cm wide and approximately 4 mm deep tumor on the tip of her nose. She had been treated for basal cell carcinoma by surgical removal three times, followed by laser and photodynamic therapies, but the tumor kept recurring. As a last resort, she was advised to have her nose removed and replaced with a prosthetic.

Instead, she was treated with Curaderm BEC5. The cream was applied 2–4 times daily and kept under an “occlusive” dressing called micropore paper tape. She experienced a minor stinging sensation for up to 15 minutes after applying the cream to the lesion. At first, the area being treated expanded, indicating that cancer cells that had initially been unobservable were responding to treatment. 

Within 14 weeks the basal cell carcinoma was clinically eliminated and replaced with normal skin cells. At her final follow-up 10 months later, there had been no recurrence.1 

How to use CuradermBEC5 (Zycure)

Here’s how both Dr Erin Singh and Christopher Clark recommend using Curaderm (marketed as Zycure in the UK).

Apply a very thin layer of cream to the lesion only. Do not put it around the spot you’re wanting to treat. Do not rub it in. 

Cover the spot with an occluding paper tape you can get at a pharmacy. Do not tamp down the tape in the middle. Do not squish the cream around. Reapply twice a day or every 12 hours. Use mild soap and water to clean the area and dry before reapplying the cream. 

“Remember, this is an escharotic agent, which means that it is going to exfoliate and scale off parts of the diseased skin,” says Dr Singh. “So wash your hands afterwards. And keep the Curaderm in the refrigerator after it’s opened.”

If you are dealing with a basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma, the lesion might begin oozing a yellow-white substance and look a little inflamed. “This is not pus, and it is not an infection,” says Christopher Clark of BioNational Pharmaceuticals. 

“It is, in fact, the burst cancer cells starting to come away. This will not happen if you’re dealing with actinic keratosis.” Actinic keratoses are small patches of rough, scaly skin generally considered a “precancerous” form of UV skin damage.

Keep up this protocol until the lesion stops oozing completely. When it’s completely stopped and you’re left with just a cavity at that point, reduce the amount of Curaderm and smear it on the inside bottom of the cavity before covering with the paper tape. 

Keep doing this twice a day. Do not let the cavity dry out because if you do a scab will form, which will end up leaving a scar. The cavity will get smaller as the new skin grows in from the edges. You’ll know when the healing process is complete because all that will be left is new pink skin. With actinic keratosis, which is not an actual cancer, the process will be quicker.

Resources

Dr Erin Singh, Options Naturopathic Clinic:
www.optionsnaturopathic.com

Christopher Clark, BioNational Pharmaceuticals:
www.bionational.com

 
Main Article

On the nose

Get the right sun block

Avoiding skin cancers