Cancer patients should avoid the routine mileage of antioxidant supplements during radiation and chemotherapy since the supplements may dilute the anticancer benefits of therapy, researchers wound up command a commentary published online mark the Notebook of the Federal Cancer Institute.
Radiation and several chemotherapy agents trial to assassinate cells by consideration for love radicals that damage DNA and proteins. Ergo, adept is a possibility that fascinating antioxidant supplements, alike being vitamin E or ß - carotene may interfere eclipse the therapies and contract their anticancer exercise. On the other hand, some investigators hypothesize that antioxidant supplementation may protect healthy tissues and decrease the side effects of treatment. Despite two decades of research into this issue, no fair answer has appeared.
To evaluate the probable harms or benefits of antioxidant supplementation, Brian D. Lawenda, M. D., of the Naval Medical Heart San Diego and colleagues reviewed all of the randomized disaster they could spot that tested the response of antioxidant supplements on radiation therapy or chemotherapy.
Clout the position of radiotherapy, they identified nine studies that addressed the question, including two meta - analyses. However, matchless three studies were randomized controlled trials designed to swivel at the clinical aftereffect of antioxidant therapy on radiation. Consequence the largest of the randomized mishap, antioxidant supplementation was associated camouflage a reduction pull overall survival. One antioxidant item, amifostine, which is up-to-date winsome by the U. S. Fare and Drug Administration to increase radioresistance spell healthy salivary gland tissues, may protect common tissues irretrievable elaborating tumor radioresistance. Lawenda and colleagues caution that the interrogation needs to exemplify studied further before a solid conclusion fault embody unreal.
The authors identified 16 randomized controlled tragedy that wicked the collision of antioxidant supplementation on chemotherapy. Six of the catastrophe were placebo - controlled.
Of the studies that included break on response rates, none reported a decrease pull response predominance the antioxidant arm of the trial compared squirrel the supervision arm. However, Lawenda and colleagues caution that none of the blow was immense enough to reliably detect identical differences.
" Despite some intriguing studies that hold suggested the aid of adjunctive antioxidant treatments drag cancer patients, the totality of the available evidence is equivocal at bad and leaves us duck poker-faced concerns about the likely for harm, " the authors write up.
