Summary
Green tea catechins (EGCG) has reached Preclinical as its most advanced recorded development stage across any indication, and the database holds no approval for Cancer. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Green tea catechins (EGCG) to Cancer: 1 is currently recruiting; 4 have completed; 3 are terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 2 (NCT00303823). It plans or enrolled 98 participants. Registration activity spans 2005 to 2024. No published literature item is linked to Green tea catechins (EGCG) and Cancer in the OSMF database yet, so the record rests on registry entries alone. Registry entries describe intent to study, not outcomes.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Cancer ranks 1226 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: Spontaneous regression is rare (<0.5% of cases); 5-year survival without treatment: <5% for advanced NSCLC; ~20% for stage I-II with surgery.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | C · Preliminary |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 26.5 (trials 21.5, literature 0.0, tier 5, approved bonus 0.0) |
| Registered trials | 8 total: 1 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 4 completed, 3 other |
| Linked publications | 0 |
| Agent type | Supplement (Nutraceutical) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Preclinical |
| Mechanism / class | Cancer metabolism as a therapeutic target and review of interventions · Halma M, Tuszynski JA · 2023 |
| Data sources | OSMF Chronic Disease Review |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
| NCT ID | Title | Status | Phase | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT00666562 | Green Tea Extract in Treating Patients With Nonmetastatic Bladder Cancer 2008 | completed | Phase 2 | 31 |
| NCT00303823 | Green Tea Extract in Preventing Cervical Cancer in Patients With Human Papillomavirus and Low-Grade Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia 2005 | completed | Phase 2 | 98 |
| NCT00573885 | Green Tea Extract in Preventing Cancer in Former and Current Heavy Smokers With Abnormal Sputum 2008 | completed | Phase 2 | 53 |
| NCT06015022 | EGCG for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Chemoprevention 2024 | recruiting | Phase 2 | 60 |
| NCT01606124 | Polyphenon E in Treating Patients With High-Risk of Colorectal Cancer 2012 | terminated | Phase 2 | 39 |
| NCT00611650 | Green Tea Extract in Treating Current or Former Smokers With Bronchial Dysplasia 2006 | terminated | Phase 2 | 23 |
| NCT00516243 | Defined Green Tea Catechin Extract in Treating Women With Hormone Receptor Negative Stage I-III Breast Cancer 2007 | completed | Phase 1 | 40 |
| NCT01317953 | Oral Green Tea Extract for Small Cell Lung Cancer | available | Not applicable | — |
Published literature
No publication is linked to this pair yet.
Mechanism and notes
Recorded mechanism or class: Cancer metabolism as a therapeutic target and review of interventions · Halma M, Tuszynski JA · 2023.
OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is C (Preliminary), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in OSMF Chronic Disease Review. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Green tea catechins (EGCG) approved for Cancer?
Green tea catechins (EGCG) has reached Preclinical as its most advanced recorded development stage across any indication, and the database holds no approval for Cancer. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Green tea catechins (EGCG) in clinical trials for Cancer?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Green tea catechins (EGCG) to Cancer: 1 is currently recruiting; 4 have completed; 3 are terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 2 (NCT00303823). It plans or enrolled 98 participants. Registration activity spans 2005 to 2024.
What does the evidence show for Green tea catechins (EGCG) in Cancer?
Green tea catechins (EGCG) has 4 completed registered trials for Cancer but no linked publication, which usually means results are unpublished, pending, or not yet matched to this record. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is C (Preliminary), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in OSMF Chronic Disease Review. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.