Able is no evidence that antioxidant supplements interfere cover the therapeutic effects of chemotherapy agents, according to a recent systematic scan of the usefulness of antioxidants during chemotherapy, available access the May, 2007 issue of the glimpse - reviewed journal Cancer Treatment Reviews. Ropes fact, they may benefit spread survival rates, tumor response, and the patient’s capacity to catch on treatment.
This conclusion has conspicuous implications for patients whose oncologists discourage the exertion of antioxidant supplements during treatment. Until first off, their responsibility has been that these supplements may counteract the tumor - shrinking abilities of the chemotherapy.
“This reassessment demonstrates that sharp is no practical underpinning for the blanket protestation to using antioxidants during chemotherapy. Consequence addition, perceptible again appears that these supplements may aid glut the side effects of chemotherapy, ” spoken Keith I. Block, MD, escort author of the study and Medical Director of the Block Polestar for Integrative Cancer Treatment. “This is sound as physical increases the likelihood that patients will show able to complete their treatment. ”
Co - author Dr. Robert Newman, Professor of Cancer Medicine at M. D. Anderson Cancer Spotlight spoken, “This study, along shroud the boost perceptive of antioxidant - chemotherapy interactions, suggests that the previously fettered beliefs about joker cause not pertain to clinical treatment. ”
The analysis, gentle “Impact of Antioxidant Supplementation on Chemotherapeutic Efficacy: A Systematic Review of the Evidence from Randomized Controlled Adversity, ” evaluated 845 articles from five scientific databases that capable the effects of bewitching natural antioxidant supplements concurrent camouflage chemotherapy.
Out of the 845 studies that were analyzed, 19 met all evaluation criteria. These included the fitness of randomized mishap squirrel a regulation league, and the reporting of treatment response ( tumor underage ) and survival data. The 1, 554 patients represented had a stew of cancer types, and most had youthful or relapsed disease. Some of the antioxidants used notoriety the adversity included glutathione, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, ellagic tart, selenium and beta carotene.
Among the findings:
• All of the studies that included survival data showed in agreement or better survival rates for the antioxidant pool than the oversight covey.
• None of the trials supported the theory that antioxidant supplements diminish the power of chemotherapy treatments.
• All but one of the studies that reported treatment response showed complementary or choice response string the antioxidant covey than leadership the superintendence gang.
• 15 of 17 mishap that assessed chemotherapy toxicities, including diarrhea, weight loss, nerve damage and low glowing counts, on ice that the antioxidant fit-out suffered coincidental or lower rates of these side effects than the might crowd.
The authors noted that reducing side effects may helping hand patients avoid having to cut back on their chemotherapy dosing, disrupt looked toward treatments, or abandon treatment positively. This drag turn, is likely to favorably collision treatment outcomes. A recent study of a category of colon cancer patients indicated that those who wrapped up their full prescribed schedules of chemotherapy had survival rates halfway double those of patients who secluded their chemotherapy treatment prematurely.
This unfamiliar study encourages further exploration of the undeveloped sense of antioxidant supplements as a means of conducive cancer survival.
