Anticancer properties of carotenoids in prostate cancer. A review.

Prostate cancer is the most common noncutaneous cancer of men in the world. Several epidemiological studies have linked increased carotenoids consumption with decreased prostate cancer risk. These findings are supported by in vitro and in vivo experiments showing that carotenoids not only enhance the antioxidant response of prostate cells, but that they are able to inhibit proliferation, induce apoptosis and decrease the metastatic capacity of prostate cancer cells. However, clear clinical evidence supporting the use of carotenoids in prevention or treatment of prostate cancer is not available, due to the limited number of published randomized clinical trials, and the varying protocols used in the existing studies. The scope of the present review is to discuss the potential impact of carotenoids on prostate cancer by giving an overview of the molecular mechanisms and in vitro / in vivo effects.