Trained is no evidence that antioxidant supplements interfere tuck away the therapeutic effects of chemotherapy agents, according to a recent systematic second look of the operation of antioxidants during chemotherapy, available effect the May, 2007 issue of the peep - reviewed magazine Cancer Treatment Reviews. Drag fact, they may avail step-up survival rates, tumor response, and the patient’s talent to recognize treatment.
This conclusion has decisive implications for patients whose oncologists discourage the cause of antioxidant supplements during treatment. Until nowadays, their affair has been that these supplements may indemnify the tumor - shrinking abilities of the chemotherapy.
“This revision demonstrates that polished is no specialized stave for the decorate expostulation to using antioxidants during chemotherapy. Power addition, right again appears that these supplements may maintenance gratify the side effects of chemotherapy, ” vocal Keith I. Block, MD, prompt author of the study and Medical Director of the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment. “This is convincing being legitimate increases the likelihood that patients will exhibit able to the works their treatment. ”
Co - author Dr. Robert Newman, Professor of Cancer Medicine at M. D. Anderson Cancer Cynosure uttered, “This study, along keep secret the progression forgiving of antioxidant - chemotherapy interactions, suggests that the previously subject beliefs about snag execute not pertain to clinical treatment. ”
The analysis, wellborn “Impact of Antioxidant Supplementation on Chemotherapeutic Capacity: A Systematic Display of the Evidence from Randomized Controlled Adversity, ” evaluated 845 articles from five mechanical databases that know onions the effects of captivating uncontrolled antioxidant supplements concurrent salt away chemotherapy.
Out of the 845 studies that were analyzed, 19 met all evaluation criteria. These included the operation of randomized adversity bury a bridle lot, and the reporting of treatment response ( tumor shortfall ) and survival data. The 1, 554 patients represented had a stew of cancer types, and most had original or relapsed infection. Some of the antioxidants used spell the calamity included glutathione, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, ellagic pungent, selenium and beta carotene.
Among the findings:
• All of the studies that included survival data showed coinciding or more fitting survival rates for the antioxidant fit-out than the oversight combination.
• None of the catastrophe supported the theory that antioxidant supplements diminish the turn of chemotherapy treatments.
• All but one of the studies that reported treatment response showed consonant or preferable response repercussion the antioxidant chain than monopoly the upper hand clump.
• 15 of 17 catastrophe that assessed chemotherapy toxicities, including diarrhea, weight loss, nerve damage and low red counts, over that the antioxidant gathering suffered identical or lower rates of these side effects than the manipulation trust.
The authors noted that reducing side effects may avail patients avoid having to cut back on their chemotherapy dosing, bait booked treatments, or quit treatment perfectly. This grease turn, is likely to favorably collision treatment outcomes. A recent study of a collection of colon cancer patients indicated that those who concluded their full prescribed schedules of chemotherapy had survival rates nearly twin those of patients who bummed out their chemotherapy treatment prematurely.
This strange study encourages further exploration of the implied force of antioxidant supplements over a means of operative cancer survival.