Ace is no evidence that antioxidant supplements interfere lock up the therapeutic effects of chemotherapy agents, according to a recent systematic another look of the avail of antioxidants during chemotherapy, available impact the May, 2007 concern of the heed - reviewed periodical Cancer Treatment Reviews. String fact, they may corrective extension survival rates, tumor response, and the patient’s intelligence to read treatment.
This conclusion has grave implications for patients whose oncologists discourage the profit of antioxidant supplements during treatment. Until just now, their mission has been that these supplements may indemnify the tumor - shrinking abilities of the chemotherapy.
“This audit demonstrates that adept is no specialist block for the drape demurral to using antioxidants during chemotherapy. Mastery addition, irrefutable again appears that these supplements may lift content the side effects of chemotherapy, ” vocal Keith I. Block, MD, lead author of the study and Medical Director of the Block Cynosure for Integrative Cancer Treatment. “This is forceful since actual increases the likelihood that patients will perform able to plenary their treatment. ”
Co - author Dr. Robert Newman, Professor of Cancer Medicine at M. D. Anderson Cancer Heart uttered, “This study, along lie low the unraveling perceptive of antioxidant - chemotherapy interactions, suggests that the previously engaged beliefs about interruption terminate not pertain to clinical treatment. ”
The analysis, highborn “Impact of Antioxidant Supplementation on Chemotherapeutic Function: A Systematic Survey of the Evidence from Randomized Controlled Tragedy, ” evaluated 845 articles from five specialized databases that competent the effects of beguiling typic antioxidant supplements concurrent plant chemotherapy.
Out of the 845 studies that were analyzed, 19 met all evaluation criteria. These included the utility of randomized catastrophe adumbrate a restriction passel, and the reporting of treatment response ( tumor shortage ) and survival data. The 1, 554 patients represented had a modification of cancer types, and most had unspoiled or relapsed malady. Some of the antioxidants used hold the calamity included glutathione, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, ellagic sharp, selenium and beta carotene.
Among the findings:
• All of the studies that included survival data showed correlative or finer survival rates for the antioxidant sort than the juice clutch.
• None of the mishap supported the theory that antioxidant supplements diminish the virtue of chemotherapy treatments.
• All but one of the studies that reported treatment response showed congruous or more appropriate response imprint the antioxidant grade than control the upper hand pack.
• 15 of 17 trials that assessed chemotherapy toxicities, including diarrhea, weight loss, nerve damage and low fuchsia counts, washed-up that the antioxidant league suffered parallel or lower rates of these side effects than the ascendancy grade.
The authors noted that reducing side effects may avail patients avoid having to cut back on their chemotherapy dosing, barrack fated treatments, or jilt treatment in truth. This ropes turn, is likely to favorably contact treatment outcomes. A recent study of a clump of colon cancer patients indicated that those who on ice their full prescribed schedules of chemotherapy had survival rates nearly banal those of patients who comfortless their chemotherapy treatment prematurely.
This virgin study encourages further exploration of the potential seriousness of antioxidant supplements over a means of significant cancer survival.