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MS-N157 · Food-derived powder · Prostate cancer · Phase I signal · Appraised 27 October 2026

Does concentrated white-button mushroom powder control biochemically recurrent prostate cancer?

Evidence at a glance

  • Evidence label: Early PSA signal; cancer-control benefit unproven
  • Benefit: In a 36-person phase I dose-escalation study, four participants met PSA-response definitions, including two prolonged undetectable PSA results.
  • Certainty: Very low for efficacy. The uncontrolled phase I study was designed for safety, and PSA changes do not establish delayed metastasis or longer survival.
  • Risk: No dose-limiting toxicity occurred in the small trial, but concentrated powder is not equivalent to ordinary dietary mushrooms and uncommon harms remain possible.

What was studied

Thirty-six people with rising PSA after local prostate-cancer treatment received escalating daily doses of white-button mushroom powder. The primary objective was feasibility and toxicity; PSA, androgens and immune markers were secondary.

What the evidence found

The PSA response rate was 11%: two complete and two partial responses. Thirteen participants had some PSA decline at three months. Later translational work reported immune-cell changes in participants from an ongoing randomized phase II trial, but did not establish a clinical outcome benefit.

How to interpret it

A falling PSA can be a useful research signal, but an uncontrolled PSA response cannot prove that metastasis was delayed or survival improved. The ongoing randomized trial should be judged by prespecified clinical and PSA endpoints when complete results are posted.

Practical safety context

Food mushrooms are generally distinct from concentrated research powder. Review fungal allergy, gastrointestinal tolerance, product contamination and interactions. Do not defer standard evaluation of a rising PSA.

Questions for the care team

  • Is there radiographic or clinical progression, not only a PSA change?
  • Does the product match the studied powder and dose?
  • What are the status and posted results of NCT04519879?

Funding and conflicts

The 2015 investigators reported no relevant conflict. The later research was conducted at City of Hope; product sourcing and trial funding should be checked in the full protocol.

Sources

Last literature search: 27 October 2026. Record appraisal: 27 October 2026. This page is educational and does not replace individualized medical advice. Symptom, biomarker, immune-marker or nutritional changes must not be interpreted as proof of tumor control, recurrence prevention or longer survival unless those outcomes were directly tested.