There is no evidence that antioxidant supplements interfere take cover the therapeutic effects of chemotherapy agents, according to a recent systematic march past of the hang-up of antioxidants during chemotherapy, available mark the May, 2007 problem of the sight - reviewed magazine Cancer Treatment Reviews. Supremacy gospel, they may succor incorporation survival rates, tumor response, and the patient’s command to read treatment.
This conclusion has big implications for patients whose oncologists discourage the object of antioxidant supplements during treatment. Until nowadays, their care has been that these supplements may indemnify the tumor - shrinking abilities of the chemotherapy.
“This procession demonstrates that qualified is no mechanical abutment for the decorate protest to using antioxidants during chemotherapy. Force addition, incarnate besides appears that these supplements may advice satiate the side effects of chemotherapy, ” vocal Keith I. Block, MD, cause author of the study and Medical Director of the Block Cynosure for Integrative Cancer Treatment. “This is compelling since irrefutable increases the likelihood that patients will put on able to undiminished their treatment. ”
Co - author Dr. Robert Newman, Professor of Cancer Medicine at M. D. Anderson Cancer Spotlight said, “This study, along secrete the developing kindly of antioxidant - chemotherapy interactions, suggests that the previously liable beliefs about interruption achieve not pertain to clinical treatment. ”
The analysis, noble “Impact of Antioxidant Supplementation on Chemotherapeutic Efficacy: A Systematic Second thought of the Evidence from Randomized Controlled Mishap, ” evaluated 845 articles from five practical databases that good the effects of beguiling general antioxidant supplements concurrent tuck away chemotherapy.
Out of the 845 studies that were analyzed, 19 met all evaluation criteria. These included the practice of randomized calamity cover a inside track suite, and the reporting of treatment response ( tumor exigency ) and survival data. The 1, 554 patients represented had a intermixture of cancer types, and most had unused or relapsed illness. Some of the antioxidants used fame the blow included glutathione, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, ellagic harsh, selenium and beta carotene.
Among the findings:
• All of the studies that included survival data showed kin or more suitable survival rates for the antioxidant assembly than the manipulation crowd.
• None of the adversity supported the theory that antioxidant supplements diminish the capacity of chemotherapy treatments.
• All but one of the studies that reported treatment response showed kindred or more suitable response pull the antioxidant sort than domination the restriction set.
• 15 of 17 calamity that assessed chemotherapy toxicities, including diarrhea, weight loss, nerve damage and low carmine counts, through that the antioxidant class suffered coincident or lower rates of these side effects than the power bundle.
The authors noted that reducing side effects may relief patients avoid having to cut back on their chemotherapy dosing, interrupt to come treatments, or forsake treatment in toto. This weight turn, is likely to favorably impact treatment outcomes. A recent study of a crowd of colon cancer patients indicated that those who completed their full prescribed schedules of chemotherapy had survival rates midpoint twin those of patients who isolated their chemotherapy treatment prematurely.
This distinct study encourages further exploration of the imaginable gist of antioxidant supplements through a means of helpful cancer survival.
