Antioxidants May Benefit Cancer Chemo Patients
Taking supplemental antioxidants during cancer chemotherapy does not seem to interfere with treatment and may, in fact, help increase survival rates, tumor response and the person’s ability to tolerate chemotherapy, a new systematic review of studies suggests.
This comes in the midst of a long-running debate about the use of antioxidants during chemotherapy. A number of studies have shown that antioxidants such as glutathione, melatonin, selenium, and vitamins C and E can help reduce the damage chemo drugs can cause to healthy cells. But some doctors are reluctant to encourage their patients to use supplemental antioxidants because they fear it might interfere with the effectiveness of the treatment—that it might protect cancer cells the same way it protects healthy cells.
“This review demonstrates that there is no scientific support for the blanket objection to using antioxidants during chemotherapy. In addition, it also appears that these supplements may help mitigate the side effects of chemotherapy,” said Keith L. Block, M.D., lead author of the study and medical direction of the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment. “This is significant because it increase the likelihood that patients will be able to complete their treatment.”
Some 19 studies were included. All were randomized trials with a control group, and included reporting of treatment response (tumor shrinkage) and survival data. Most people included in the studies had advanced or relapsed cancer.
Among the findings:
- All of the studies that included survival statistics showed similar or better survival rates for the antioxidant group than the control group.
- None of the studies supported the theory that antioxidant supplements make chemotherapy less effective.
- 15 of 17 trials that assessed chemotherapy toxicity, including diarrhea, weight loss, nerve damage and low blood counts found that the antioxidant group had similar or lower rates of these side effects than the control group.
The authors note that reducing side effects may help people undergoing cancer treatment to avoid having to cut back on their chemotherapy dosage, interrupt scheduled treatments, or abandon treatment altogether, This, in turn, is likely to lead to a better treatment outcome. (Block, KI, et al. Cancer Treatment Rev (2007), doi:10.1016/ctrv.2007.01.005)
If you’re getting chemotherapy, you and your doctor should read this important review and decide if antioxidant supplement could help you.
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