Mushroom Compound Lengthens Lives for Dogs with Cancer by more than 400%, Research Finds
A Chinese mushroom is offering hope to some pet owners in the treatment of hemangiosarcoma, an aggressive cancer that shortens life to a matter of days. The compound – polysaccharopeptide – has been found to extend the lifespans of cancer-stricken dogs by Researchers believe the mushroom could eventually help humans in the fight against cancer as well.
Used in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 2,000 years, the mushroom is called coriolus versicolor, or more simply, the Yunzhi mushroom. Polysaccharopeptide, or PSP, is the active ingredient, the compound that researchers say has immune-boosting and tumor-busting properties.
At Penn Vet, part of the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School, researchers tested the PSP on dogs diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma. These dogs, once diagnosed, have a life expectancy of about 86 days. But initial results with the PSP show them living beyond a year after diagnosis.
“We were shocked,” Cimino Brown said. “Prior to this, the longest reported median survival time of dogs with hemangiosarcoma of the spleen that underwent no further treatment was 86 days. We had dogs that lived beyond a year with nothing other than this mushroom as treatment.”
Hemangiosarcoma is a cancer that originates in the blood vessels and affects the spleen. It comes on quickly and seems to kill just as fast.
“It’s a very devastating disease,” said Penn Vet researcher Dottie Brown. “The presentation is very acute. The dog looks completely normal, running around the yard and then literally collapses in a short period of time and gets into an emergency room situation. Usually, it is growing in the abdomen and also the spleen and no one sees it, then it breaks open and bleeds.”
Early results from the dog clinical trials are promising, with those receiving the highest dose of PSP doubling their life expectancy. They have exhibited no additional side effects from the treatment and their overall health seems improved.
“We believe if we can definitely show this can decrease the spread of tumors, it will be applicable in other kinds of tumors, not just hemangiosarcomas in dogs, cats and people,” said Dr. Brown.
Currently, there are products with PSP on the market for human consumption. But, as the researchers caution, they are supplements and therefore not regulated by the FDA. Therefore, it’s hard to say whether those labeled PSP actually contain the mushroom compound and if so, what quality it is.
Pets are like honorary family members for many people. They become the children we never had or the sibling our child always wanted. So when illness threatens to take them away, pet owners often wish there was more they could do.
Now, another treatment option exists.
This is also known as Turkey Tail mushroom which grows in deciduous woods nearly everywhere–too bad you need pounds of it and probably super high temperature preparations.
Mushroom Science seems to be reputable and use the specific extracted compounds in medicinal doses. Host Defense had some preliminary study saying its product is beneficial also. I’m kind of skeptical of nearly any other brand because they likely don’t contain enough of the active compound, PSP, and may come from Japan, which is a big unknown as to the quality. Just my opinions.