PITTSBURGH, April 4 (UPI) -- Two studies at the University of Pittsburgh suggest that omega-3 fatty acids inhibit the growth of liver cancer.
The first study looked at the effect and mechanism of omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Hepatocellular carcinomas account for 80 percent to 90 percent of liver cancers, and patients are usually dead within six months of diagnosis.
Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish oils and some seeds and nuts.
Researchers treated carcinoma cells with one of two different omega-3 fatty acids or an omega-6 acid. They found that both omega-3 fatty acids inhibited cell growth, with the effect dependent on the dose, while the omega-6 fatty acid did not.
The researchers also studied cholangiocarcinoma tumor cells. Cholangiocarcinoma is an aggressive form of liver cancer with a high mortality rate.
They got similar results when they treated the cells with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
