Broccoli and cauliflower inhibit lung cancer?

A family of compounds found in cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and watercress, blocked lung cancer progression in both animal studies and in tests with human lung cancer cells, report researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center and the Institute for Cancer Prevention.

They say the results, published in a set of papers in the September 15 issue of Cancer Research, suggest that these chemicals — put into a veggie pill of sorts — might some day be used to help current and former smokers ward off development of lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death in Americans.

“These studies provides significant insight into the mechanisms of lung cancer prevention and suggests ways the process can be slowed down after exposure has already occurred,” said the study’s principal investigator Fung-Lung Chung, Ph.D., Professor of Oncology in the Lombardi Cancer Center at the Georgetown University Medical Center.