Cancer Advisor

Abstract Trametes versicolor (Turkey Tail) and its water-soluble extracts — especially Polysaccharide-K (PSK, also known as Krestin) and Polysaccharide-Peptide (PSP) — have been studied as adjuvant biological response modifiers in oncology for decades, particularly in East Asia. This review synthesizes clinical, mechanistic, and systematic evidence assessing PSK/PSP in cancer care, focusing on survival outcomes, immune modulation, and safety. While not curative or approved in most Western jurisdictions, Turkey Tail derivatives show modest evidence of benefit as adjuncts to conventional therapies across several cancers. 1. Overview of Turkey Tail and Bioactive Constituents Turkey Tail is a saprophytic bracket fungus with a long history in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine. Modern interest centers on PSK and PSP , high-molecular-weight polysaccharide complexes extracted from the mycelium. PSK has regulatory approval in Japan as an adjunct in cancer treatment, particularly in g...

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive and lethal cancers worldwide. With a 5-year survival rate of only 13% (American Cancer Society, 2026 data) and dropping to 3% for metastatic disease, PDAC has seen little improvement in outcomes over the past decades. Late diagnosis, dense tumor stroma, and near-universal KRAS mutations (90-95% of cases) drive rapid resistance to standard chemotherapy. A new triple drug therapy for pancreatic cancer, detailed in a December 2025/January 2026 study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) by researchers at Spain’s National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), has delivered unprecedented preclinical results: complete tumor eradication in multiple rigorous mouse models with no detectable recurrence for over 200 days. Understanding Pancreatic Cancer and the Role of KRAS Mutations PDAC originates in the pancreatic ducts and spreads aggressively. KRAS mutations lock cells into uncontrolled growth signa...