Green tea cures skin cancer

A chemical found in green tea could be used to treat two types of skin cancer, say scientists from the Universities of Strathclyde and Glasgow. It doesn't work when simply drinking tea, but when tea extract was applied to cancer cells in a laboratory setting, the tumors shrank by two-thirds or disappeared completely.

The substance is called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg). According to experts, it does not have side effects on other cells. Scientists have combined EGCg with the anti-cancer protein transferrin. They applied the resulting solution to the cells of two types of skin cancer - carcinoma and melanoma.

In both cases, up to 40% of the tumors disappeared. In carcinoma, the size decreased by 30%, in melanoma - by 20%. The remaining 10% of melanoma cancer cells have stabilized.

"These are encouraging results that could pave the way for new effective cancer treatments," said Dr Christine Dufes from the University of Strathclyde. Melanoma is diagnosed in 10,000 Britons every year, most often in women.