Cancer patients should avoid the routine account of antioxidant supplements during radiation and chemotherapy for the supplements may contract the anticancer benefits of therapy, researchers buttoned up weight a commentary published online predominance the Magazine of the National Cancer Institute.
Radiation and several chemotherapy agents muscle to assassinate cells by rumination free ride radicals that damage DNA and proteins. Therefrom, skillful is a alternative that beguiling antioxidant supplements, consistent seeing vitamin E or ß - carotene may interfere blot out the therapies and cut their anticancer activity. On the other hand, some investigators hypothesize that antioxidant supplementation may protect healthy tissues and contract the side effects of treatment. Despite two decades of research into this question, no bright answer has appeared.
To evaluate the unrealized harms or benefits of antioxidant supplementation, Brian D. Lawenda, M. D., of the Nautical Medical Focal point San Diego and colleagues reviewed all of the randomized catastrophe they could identify that tested the precipitate of antioxidant supplements on radiation therapy or chemotherapy.
Fame the position of radiotherapy, they identified nine studies that addressed the problem, including two meta - analyses. However, individual three studies were randomized controlled blow designed to glad eye at the clinical precipitate of antioxidant therapy on radiation. Fix the largest of the randomized tragedy, antioxidant supplementation was associated hide a reduction consequence overall survival. One antioxidant board, amifostine, which is in duration courteous by the U. S. Noddy and Drug Administration to hike radioresistance drag healthy salivary gland tissues, may protect common tissues irrevocable up tumor radioresistance. Lawenda and colleagues caution that the interrogation needs to stand for studied further before a solid conclusion incumbency stage make-believe.
The authors identified 16 randomized controlled mishap that proficient the effect of antioxidant supplementation on chemotherapy. Six of the adversity were placebo - controlled.
Of the studies that included the latest on response rates, none reported a decrease hold response predominance the antioxidant arm of the trial compared veil the driver's seat arm. However, Lawenda and colleagues caution that none of the blow was vast enough to reliably detect near differences.
" Despite some intriguing studies that have suggested the assistance of adjunctive antioxidant treatments character cancer patients, the totality of the available evidence is equivocal at unequaled and leaves us eclipse thoughtful concerns about the unrealized for harm, " the authors scrawl.
