Table 5.

Clinical studies demonstrating the anticancer activity of bioactive compounds that are also commonly found in Persea americana (avocado).

Bioactive Compounds	Type of Cancer	Type of Study	Major Findings	References
Carotenoids- α-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, and lutein/zeaxanthin	Breast cancer	A nested case-control study in women consisting of 604 breast cancer cases and 626 controls.	In women with high mammographic density, plasma levels of carotenoids reduced breast cancer risk significantly (40–50% reduction, p < 0.05).	[162]
		An ancillary study involving 207 women ages 18 to 70 years who had been successfully treated for early-stage breast cancer.	An inverse association between total plasma carotenoid concentrations and the oxidative stress biomarkers (urinary 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine and 8-isoprostaglandin-F2α) was observed.	[163]
	Larynx, pharynx and oral cancers	The study population involving 52 patients curatively treated for early-stage larynx, pharynx or oral cavity during 1997–2001.	An inverse association was observed between individual/grouped xanthophylls and urinary F2-isoprostanes (F2-IsoPs), a biomarker of oxidative stress. However, individual/grouped carotenes did not show such association with F2-IsoPs.	[161]
Glutathione	Advanced colorectal carcinoma	A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial in 52 patients.	Prevented of oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy without reducing the clinical efficacy of oxaliplatin.	[57]
	Ovarian cancer	A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel group design with 51 women.	Reduced the cisplatin-associated toxicity and improved the quality of life.	[58]
	Oral cancer	A population-based case-control study involving 1,830 Caucasian participants (855 cases and 975 controls) in during 1984–1985 in the United States.	Reduced oral cancer risk was associated with glutathione when fruit and vegetable were commonly consumed raw.	[59]