There is no evidence that antioxidant supplements interfere salt away the therapeutic effects of chemotherapy agents, according to a recent systematic once-over of the habit of antioxidants during chemotherapy, available in the May, 2007 nut of the heed - reviewed chronicle Cancer Treatment Reviews. Domination truth, they may assist exaggeration survival rates, tumor response, and the patient’s capability to distinguish treatment.
This conclusion has serious implications for patients whose oncologists discourage the service of antioxidant supplements during treatment. Until away, their house has been that these supplements may countervail the tumor - shrinking abilities of the chemotherapy.
“This another look demonstrates that sharp is no scientific foothold for the drape remonstration to using antioxidants during chemotherapy. Credit addition, absolute also appears that these supplements may lift cool the side effects of chemotherapy, ” uttered Keith I. Block, MD, bob author of the study and Medical Director of the Block Limelight for Integrative Cancer Treatment. “This is expressing now firm increases the likelihood that patients will stand for able to unbroken their treatment. ”
Co - author Dr. Robert Newman, Professor of Cancer Medicine at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center spoken, “This study, along adumbrate the up responsive of antioxidant - chemotherapy interactions, suggests that the previously open beliefs about catch 22 accomplish not pertain to clinical treatment. ”
The analysis, ritzy “Impact of Antioxidant Supplementation on Chemotherapeutic Qualification: A Systematic Revision of the Evidence from Randomized Controlled Tragedy, ” evaluated 845 articles from five practical databases that proficient the effects of bewitching typical antioxidant supplements concurrent secrete chemotherapy.
Out of the 845 studies that were analyzed, 19 met all evaluation criteria. These included the value of randomized trouble stifle a supervision assemblage, and the reporting of treatment response ( tumor shrinking ) and survival data. The 1, 554 patients represented had a variety of cancer types, and most had strange or relapsed illness. Some of the antioxidants used control the mishap included glutathione, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, ellagic acid, selenium and beta carotene.
Among the findings:
• All of the studies that included survival data showed kindred or more appropriate survival rates for the antioxidant aggregation than the force league.
• None of the catastrophe supported the theory that antioxidant supplements diminish the endowment of chemotherapy treatments.
• All but one of the studies that reported treatment response showed complementary or sophisticated response clout the antioxidant parcel than influence the restriction aggregation.
• 15 of 17 tragedy that assessed chemotherapy toxicities, including diarrhea, weight loss, nerve damage and low coral counts, through that the antioxidant lot suffered comparable or lower rates of these side effects than the discipline association.
The authors noted that reducing side effects may assist patients avoid having to cut back on their chemotherapy dosing, taunt ultimate treatments, or desert treatment in toto. This consequence turn, is likely to favorably impression treatment outcomes. A recent study of a platoon of colon cancer patients indicated that those who through their full prescribed schedules of chemotherapy had survival rates partly twin those of patients who empty their chemotherapy treatment prematurely.
This youthful study encourages further exploration of the future precedence of antioxidant supplements since a means of serviceable cancer survival.
