Introduction: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common malignancy among elderly men and has emerged as the most frequent cancer amongst men in Europe. According to an epidemiological study in 2018, prostate cancer is the leading cause of disease and death among men, with 1.6 million men suffering from prostate cancer each year and 366,000 men die from it.
Lycopene is a carotenoid and red pigment produced by tomatoes, other red fruits and vegetables. It has been suggested that lycopene exhibits antioxidant activities, anti-inflammatory properties, inhibits cell proliferation, and inducts apoptosis, thus protecting against cancer (in particular PCa) and providing health benefits for cancer patients by being considered as an anticarcinogenic and chemopreventive agent. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of Lycopene with PCa.
Methods: We searched PubMed and Google scholar databases until August 2019 with Lycopene, prostate cancer and prevention keywords. by searching these databases, only 127 articles were found in PubMed and 350 articles were found in Google scholar. From 477 articles we exclude 400 articles with investigating title and we exclude 68 articles with reading abstract. Finally we include 9 articles in to our study
Results: According to one study, lycopene supplementation in men with limited prostate cancer showed reduced PSA (prostatic specific antigen; as a measure of PCa).
Almost all scientists have identified lycopene as the most useful tomato health promoting ingredient, especially the antioxidant effects that have been well documented by various studies And, according to reports, the effect of lycopene and its antioxidant activity is 10 times higher than vitamin E .In addition, recent findings suggesting the ability of lycopene to regulate intracellular and metabolic pathways of the immune system and to increase apoptosis in prostate cancer cells, as well as to improve PSA concentrations, are positive results of these findings in the consumption of tomato products.
An article reported 2 factors affecting anticancer activities 1) Genetic variables affecting carotenoid metabolism 2) Lycopene accumulation.
An article stated that lycopene is a promising chemotherapy drug that suppresses the progression of prostate cancer by inhibiting the inflammatory response.
Conclusion: According to the results, lycopene has a great effect on preventing prostate cancer and even helps to reduce cancer cells. The most abundant lycopene in cooked tomato products, such as tomato soup and spaghetti sauce, is the lowest lycopene content. Therefore, it is recommended to include tomatoes and their products in the diet of individuals.