Chlorophyllin shows promise for radiation-induced bladder bleeding in phase II trial

For the many cancer survivors left to endure years of bladder bleeding after pelvic radiation, medicine has long offered little more than management and resignation. A small but carefully conducted phase II trial now suggests that chlorophyllin — a derivative of the pigment that makes plants green — may interrupt that suffering in meaningful ways, achieving meaningful remission in nearly three-quarters of patients. The finding does not yet close the question, but it opens a door that has been shut for decades, reminding us that relief sometimes arrives from unexpected and ancient sources.