University of Illinois Cancer Center member Natalie Reizine, MD, a UI Health medical oncologist, is the principal investigator on a new clinical trial studying whether a compound derived from licorice root will affect prostate cancer in patients. The trial is now open at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). The study will be the first to assess whether the natural product has anti-cancer effects that could benefit patients as they await surgical treatment.
The trial highlights strengths in translational and community-engaged research at UIC and the Cancer Center. The clinical study is based on laboratory findings made by scientists at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford. The new trial was also designed with community input to better reach and serve Black male patients, who suffer higher mortality rates from prostate cancer while remaining underrepresented in trials.
The trial will enroll patients who have been recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Individuals will receive glycyrrhizin — the active compound in licorice root — in the weeks between diagnosis and surgery, and researchers will assess how the therapy affects the progression of cancer.