Paw Paw extract contains (among other active ingredients) acetogenins which modulate the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) in mitochondria of cancer cells. This reduces the growth of blood vessels that nourish cancer cells. It also inhibits the growth of MDR (multiple drug resistance) cells. No other alternative or conventional cancer treatment (except treatments from trees similar to Paw Paw) has shown any effectiveness against MDR cells.Paw Paw is a cousin of the graviola, guanabana, and soursop trees. However, the acetogenins extracted from Paw Paw are more active against cancer than those extracted from these other sources.
Development
Paw Paw research was performed at Purdue College by Jerry McLaughlin. The majority of the funding (20 years and about 5 million dollars) for this research was provided by NCI. Jerry McLaughlin now works with Nature Sunshine who manufacture Paw Paw twig extract in capsule form.
Blood Brain Barrier
Pawpaw is one of the few alternative cancer treatments that can pass the blood/brain barrier. The other alternative cancer treatments that can cross this barrier are Cantron and Protocel.
Effectiveness
Paw Paw seems to work on all types of cancers. An informal study of 100 cancer patients showed that Paw Paw was effective in half the cases. This is most interesting since Paw Paw seems to work the same way that Cancell (Cantron and Protocel) works and Cancell also has a 50% effectiveness as demonstrated in another informal study. However, Paw Paw gets higher marks in the effectiveness because, in the laboratory, it inhibits the growth of MDR (multiple drug resistance) cells. No other cancer treatment including chemo has shown any effectiveness against MDR cells. Jerry McLaughlin is in the negotiation process for starting clinical trials in conjunction with Harvard University. However, no formal clinical trials have yet occurred. For more on MDR cells, see the "Multiple Drug Resistant Cells" section above.
Multiple Drug Resistant Cells
Most tumors contain a small percentage, approximately 2%, of multiple drug-resistant cells (MDR cells). Chemo is not effective against these cells. After the first round of chemo, if the chemo is effective, all of the cells that are not MDR, do not show up in scans. Since this accounts for the vast majority of the tumor mass, the tumor will appear to be effectively gone (gone where is something to consider). However, the MDR cells remain and start to multiply. Eventually, a new tumor is formed that is entirely MDR. The next time chemo is used, none of the cells will disapear because they are all MDR. Paw Paw and Graviola are the only cancer treatments that have shown effectiveness against MDR cells.(alternativecancer.us)