# Oral / Head & Neck Cancer

EGCG is the main green tea catechin, and oral or head-and-neck cancers are especially interesting because local mucosal exposure is possible in addition to systemic use.

### Overview

This literature includes oral leukoplakia work, local topical relevance, and strong preclinical data on invasion, apoptosis, and MMP-related signalling.

### Key human data

* Topical EGCG has shown clinically relevant reduction in lesion size in oral leukoplakia studies
* Epidemiology supports a modest protective association with green tea intake in oral-cancer contexts

### Key preclinical data

* EGCG inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in oral cancer models
* Suppresses MMP-2 and invasion-related pathways
* Inhibits hepatocyte growth factor and Met-related signalling in aggressive models
* Combination interest with erlotinib has also been reported

### Clinical positioning

This is a rational adjunctive setting for EGCG because direct topical or local exposure may be biologically relevant in a way that is harder to achieve for deeper tumours.

### References

Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate Therapeutic Potential in Cancer: Mechanism of Action and Clinical Implications\
<https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10343677/>

Dietary EGCG: State-of-the-Art in Anticancer Research\
<https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12844721/>

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This information is for education only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please speak with a qualified clinician before making changes to care, medication, or supplement use.
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