Avocado compound holds promise for treating leukemia

They are responsible for one of our favorite Mexican dips and can brighten up any salad, but a new study finds there may be much more to avocados; a compound found in the fruit could help tackle acute myeloid leukemia.

(medicalnewstoday.com) 06/16/15 -  Prof. Paul Spagnuolo, of the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and colleagues publish their findings in the journalCancer Research.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer that begins in thebone marrow, where blood stem cells (immature cells) turn into mature blood cells. In AML, the blood stem cells in the bone marrow become abnormal myeloblasts - a form of white blood cell - red blood cells or platelets.

It is estimated that more than 20,000 people in the US will be diagnosed with AML this year, and more than 10,000 people will die from the cancer.

Most common among people aged 65 and older, AML has a poor survival rate, with around 90% of seniors with the cancer dying within 5 years of diagnosis.

But according to Prof. Spagnuolo and colleagues, there is a compound in avocados - called avocatin B - that holds promise for a new treatment for AML.