Two years ago, Dr Graham M Lord and colleagues reported in The Lancet that two people who had been taking Chinese herbal medicines had developed kidney failure (Lancet 1999;354:481-82). The authors now report in this week’s issue of The Lancet that one of these patients has developed kidney cancer.
The patient took a Chinese herbal medicine containing Aristolochia Fangchi for two years before developing kidney failure. She had a kidney transplant and was doing well until a routine examination, 3 years after the transplant, showed cancer in the tube leading from her kidney to her bladder (ureter). Analysis of nucleic acid from the cancer showed that the cancer was likely to be caused by one of the ingredients of the herbal medicine – aristolochic acid.
The authors say that, “Our findings highlight the carcinogenic potential of aristolochic acid in human beings, and the need for vigilance to ensure that this compound is not present in herbal medicinal samples.”
Contact : Dr Graham M Lord, Division of Renal Medicine and Transplantation, Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust, London W12 0NN, UK. E) g.lord@ic.ac.uk
The Lancet