Two recent episodes of the popular podcast Prostate Cancer: Real Talk featured University of Illinois Cancer Center member Natalie Reizine, MD, a UI Health medical oncologist and the principal investigator on a new clinical trial studying whether a compound derived from licorice root will affect prostate cancer in patients.
The podcast is hosted by the husband and wife team of El and Shay, who created the platform after prostate cancer affected their lives to build community and share information. Reizine specializes in treating genitourinary cancers, including prostate, kidney, bladder and germ cell tumors.
What They Talked About
In the episodes, they discussed the importance of diversity and inclusion in clinical trials, and they delved in to Reizine’s clinical trial of glycyrrhizin, the active compound found in licorice root, to aid in fighting prostate cancer. The trial 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 is now open at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), which includes the Cancer Center and UI Health.
The trial will enroll patients who have been recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Individuals will receive glycyrrhizin in the weeks between diagnosis and surgery, and researchers will assess how the therapy affects the progression of cancer.