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Home > Health Conditions > Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy

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  • Fisetin attenuates doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity by inhibiting the insulin-like growth factor II receptor apoptotic pathway through estrogen receptor-α/-β activation - Phytother Res 2023 Apr 26 - "Doxorubicin (DOX), an effective chemotherapeutic drug, has been used to treat various cancers; however, its cardiotoxic side effects restrict its therapeutic efficacy. Fisetin, a flavonoid phytoestrogen derived from a range of fruits and vegetables, has been reported to exert cardioprotective effects against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear ... These findings imply that fisetin has a significant therapeutic potential against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity" - See fisetin at Amazon.com.
  • Inhibitory Effect and Mechanism of Ursolic Acid on Cisplatin-Induced Resistance and Stemness in Human Lung Cancer A549 Cells - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2023 Apr 14; - "The survival rate of lung cancer patients remains low largely due to chemotherapy resistance during treatment, and cancer stem cells (CSCs) may hold the key to targeting this resistance. Cisplatin is a chemotherapy drug commonly used in cancer treatment, yet the mechanisms of intrinsic cisplatin resistance have not yet been determined because lung CSCs are hard to identify ... When UA was applied to the cisplatin-resistant cells, levels of the pluripotent stem cell transcription factors were restrained by the inhibition of the Jak2/Stat3 signaling pathway, which reduced the enrichment of tumor stem cells, and in turn, reversed cisplatin resistance in lung cancer cells. Hence, as a potential antitumor drug, UA may be able to inhibit the enrichment of the lung CSC population by inhibiting the activation of the Jak2-Stat3 pathway and preventing the resistance of lung cancer cells to cisplatin" - See ursolic acid at Amazon.com.
  • Synbiotics as Supplemental Therapy for the Alleviation of Chemotherapy-Associated Symptoms in Patients with Solid Tumours - Nutrients 2023 Apr 4 - "One of the approaches to reduce or avoid chemotherapy-associated complications is to restore the gut microbiota. Gut microbiota is essential for the healthy functioning of the immune system, metabolism, and the regulation of other molecular responses in the body. Chemotherapy erodes the mucosal layer of the gastrointestinal tract and results in the loss of gut microbiota. One of the ways to restore the gut microbiota is through the use of probiotics. Probiotics are the 'good' bacteria that may provide health benefits if consumed in appropriate amounts. Some studies have highlighted that the consumption of probiotics in combination with prebiotics, known as synbiotics, may provide better health benefits when compared to probiotics alone" - See synbiotic supplements at Amazon.com.
  • Co-administration of curcumin with other phytochemicals improves anticancer activity by regulating multiple molecular targets - Phytother Res 2023 Mar 8 - "Natural plant phytochemicals are effective against different types of diseases, including cancer. Curcumin, a powerful herbal polyphenol, exerts inhibitory effects on cancer cell proliferation, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis through interaction with different molecular targets. However, the clinical use of curcumin is limited due to poor solubility in water and metabolism in the liver and intestine. The synergistic effects of curcumin with some phytochemicals such as resveratrol, quercetin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, and piperine can improve its clinical efficacy in cancer treatment. The present review specifically focuses on anticancer mechanisms related to the co-administration of curcumin with other phytochemicals, including resveratrol, quercetin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, and piperine. According to the molecular evidence, the phytochemical combinations exert synergistic effects on suppressing cell proliferation, reducing cellular invasion, and inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest" - See curcumin at Amazon.com.
  • Rutin and Hesperidin Alleviate Paclitaxel-Induced Nephrocardiotoxicity in Wistar Rats via Suppressing the Oxidative Stress and Enhancing the Antioxidant Defense Mechanisms - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2023 Feb 22 - "Paclitaxel is a primary chemotherapy agent that displays antitumor activity against a variety of solid tumors. However, the clinical effectiveness of the drug is hampered by its nephrotoxic and cardiotoxic side effects ... In paclitaxel-treated rats, the treatment of rutin and hesperidin decreased the elevated serum levels of creatinine, urea, and uric acid, indicating a recovery of kidney functions. The cardiac dysfunction in paclitaxel-treated rats that got rutin and hesperidin treatment also diminished, as shown by a substantial reduction in elevated CK-MB and LDH activity ... Thus, paclitaxel likely induces toxicity in the kidney and the heart by producing oxidative stress. The treatments likely countered renal and cardiac dysfunction and histopathological changes by suppressing oxidative stress and augmenting the antioxidant defenses. Rutin and hesperidin combination was most efficacious in rescuing renal and cardiac function as well as histological integrity in paclitaxel-administered rats" - See rutin at Amazon.com and hesperidin at Amazon.com.
  • Vitamin D3 and deconvoluting a rash - JCI Insight 2023 Jan 24 - "Adverse drug reactions are unpredictable immunologic events presenting frequent challenges to clinical management. Systemically administered cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) has immunomodulatory properties. In this randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled interventional trial of healthy human adults, we investigated the clinical and molecular immunomodulatory effects of a single high dose of oral vitamin D3 on an experimentally induced chemical rash ... High-dose systemic cholecalciferol may be an effective treatment for severe reactions to topical chemotherapy. Our findings have broad implications for cholecalciferol as an antiinflammatory intervention against the development of exaggerated immune responses" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
  • People With Cancer Should Be Wary of Taking Dietary Supplements - WebMD, 1/19/23
  • Survival Benefit of Metformin Adjuvant Treatment For Pancreatic Cancer Patients: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - Cell Physiol Biochem 2018;49:837–847 - "The current systematic review and meta-analysis based on 17 studies involving 36791 patients suggests that pancreatic cancer patients with metformin adjuvant treatment may have a prolonged survival compared with those not receiving metformin, though there is evidence of moderate heterogeneity across studies" - See metformin at ReliableRX..
  • Curcumin suppresses cell proliferation and reduces cholesterol absorption in Caco-2 cells by activating the TRPA1 channel - Aging (Albany NY) 2023 Jan 11 - Lipids Health Dis 2023 Jan 14 -0 "Curcumin (Cur) is a bioactive dietary polyphenol of turmeric with various biological activities against several cancers. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths. Intestinal cholesterol homeostasis is associated with CRC. Chemotherapy for CRC is related to varied adverse effects. Therefore, natural products with anti-cancer properties represent a potential strategy for primary prevention of CRC ... Cur inhibits cell proliferation and reduces cholesterol absorption in Caco-2 cells through the Ca2+/PPARγ/SP-1/SREBP-2/NPC1L1 signaling by activating the TRPA1 channel, suggesting that Cur can be used as a dietary supplement for the primary prevention of CRC. In Caco-2 cells, Cur first stimulates calcium influx by activating the TRPA1 channel, further upregulates PPARγ and downregulates SP-1/SREBP-2/NPC1L1 signaling pathway, and finally inhibits the absorption of cholesterol. TRPA1, transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily A member 1; NPC1L1, Niemann-Pick C1-like 1; PPARγ, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma; SP-1, specificity protein-1; SREBP-2, sterol regulatory element-binding protein-2; Cur, curcumin" - See curcumin at Amazon.com.
  • Fisetin, a dietary flavonoid, increases the sensitivity of chemoresistant head and neck carcinoma cells to cisplatin possibly through HSP90AA1/IL-17 pathway - Phytother Res 2023 Jan 11 - "Cisplatin (DDP) resistance is a bottleneck in the treatment of head and neck cancer (HNC), leading to poor prognosis. Fisetin, a dietary flavonoid, has low toxicity and high antitumor activity with unclear mechanisms ... Administration of fisetin increased the sensitivity of chemoresistant cells (Cal27/DDP and FaDu/DDP) to DDP, accompanied by the downregulation of HSP90AA1 and IL-17. HSP90AA1 silencing increases the sensitivity of DDP-resistant cells to DDP, which was mediated by IL-17. In summary, fisetin might inhibit the chemoresistance of HNC cells to DDP by targeting the HSP90AA1/IL-17 pathway. Several hub genes might be the targets of fisetin for reversing DDP-resistance in HNC cells and might also serve as prognostic factors and therapeutic targets for HNC" - See fisetin at Amazon.com.
  • Small Study Finds High-Dose Vitamin D Relieved Toxic Erythema of Chemotherapy - Medscape, 1/6/23 - "Onset of TEC in the six patients occurred a mean of 8.5 days after chemotherapy. Vitamin D – 50,000 IU for one patient and 100,000 IU for the others – was administered a mean of 4.3 days from rash onset and again in 7 days. Triamcinolone, 0.1%, or clobetasol, 0.05%, ointments were also prescribed ... All patients experienced symptomatic improvement in pain, pruritus, or swelling within a day of the first vitamin D treatment, and improvement in redness within 1 to 4 days, the authors said. The second treatment was administered for residual symptoms" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
  • Berberine hydrochloride alleviates imatinib mesylate - induced cardiotoxicity through the inhibition of Nrf2-dependent ferroptosis - Food Funct 2023 Jan 3 - "Imatinib mesylate (IMA) belonging to the selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor family has been proven to induce cardiotoxic effects along with therapeutic strategies. Nrf2-dependent ferroptosis has been implicated in the cardiotoxicity induced by IMA. The present study was designed to investigate the protective effects of berberine hydrochloride (Ber) on cardiac injuries induced by IMA and to explore its potential mechanisms ... Our results indicated that Ber increased cell viability and MMP and decreased cellular ROS and iron levels in comparison to the IMA group of H9c2 cells. In mice, Ber significantly improved cardiac status and attenuated the level of ferroptosis biomarkers including malonaldehyde (MDA) and iron content. Additionally, Ber downregulated the expression of transferrin receptor (TfR) and P53 and upregulated the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase-1 (NQO1), ferritin heavy chain-1 (FTH1), and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) in H9c2 cells and mice. The present data indicated that Ber has the potential to protect against IMA-induced cardiotoxicity, partly via inhibiting Nrf2-dependent ferroptosis" - See berberine at Amazon.com.
  • Quercetin as a cancer chemopreventive or chemotherapeutic agent: Where we stand - Phytother Res 2022 Nov 28 - "Quercetin has a wide range of potential health benefits, working as a direct or indirect agent or an adjuvant following different principles. It may be used as a generally useful or exclusive supplement, but also specifically used to treat an acute or chronic condition. Quercetin may work as a cancer chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agent, because this versatile substance, which owns antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, may also kill cancer cells and also holds senolytic properties. While both the specific chemo-preventive or chemotherapeutic uses as a drug need clinical trials, it may be used without any contraindication as a general chemo-preventive supplement" - See quercetin at Amazon.com.
  • The Preventive Effects of Naringin and Naringenin against Paclitaxel-Induced Nephrotoxicity and Cardiotoxicity in Male Wistar Rats - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2022 Sep 30 - "This study assessed the preventive properties of naringin and naringenin on paclitaxel-induced nephrotoxicity and cardiotoxicity in adult male Wistar rats. Intraperitoneal injection of paclitaxel 2 mg/kg body weight, two days/week on the 2nd and 5th days of each week, with or without oral administration of naringin and/or naringenin 10 mg/kg body weight every other day, was continued for six weeks. Treatment of rats with naringin and/or naringenin significantly reversed elevated serum creatinine, urea, and uric acid levels caused by paclitaxel, reflecting improved kidney function. Similarly, heart dysfunction induced by paclitaxel was alleviated after treatment with naringin and/or naringenin, as evidenced by significant decreases in elevated CK-MB and LDH activities. After drug administration, histopathological findings and lesion scores in the kidneys and heart were markedly decreased by naringin and/or naringenin. Moreover, the treatments reversed renal and cardiac lipid peroxidation and the negative impacts on antioxidant defenses via raising GSH, SOD, and GPx. The preventive effects of naringin and naringenin were associated with suppressing oxidative stress and reestablishing antioxidant defenses. A combination of naringin and naringenin was the most efficacious in rescuing organ function and structure" - See naringin at Amazon.com and naringenin at Amazon.com.
  • Curcumenol Targeting YWHAG Inhibits the Pentose Phosphate Pathway and Enhances Antitumor Effects of Cisplatin - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2022 Jun 26 - "Cervical cancer is a common cancer in women. The drug resistance of chemotherapeutic agents has always been an urgent problem to be solved in clinics. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein gamma polypeptide (YWHAG) in cervical cancer and explore the effect of Curcuma on cervical cancer and its possible mechanism ... Curcumenol can enhance cisplatin to inhibit cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and promote tumor cell apoptosis. The combination of drugs may promote the apoptosis of cervical cancer cells through the YWHAG pathway"
    • Curcumenol - Pub Chem - "Curcumenol is a natural product found in Curcuma aeruginosa, Curcuma longa, and other organisms with data available"
    • Turmeric - Wikipedia - "Turmeric ... is a flowering plant, Curcuma longa" - See curcumin at Amazon.com.
  • Celastrol Modulates Multiple Signaling Pathways to Inhibit Proliferation of Pancreatic Cancer via DDIT3 and ATF3 Up-Regulation and RRM2 and MCM4 Down-Regulation - Onco Targets Ther. 2021 - "Celastrol, a quinone methide triterpenoid, is a natural product extracted from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F. (“Thunder of God Vine”) plant and is used widely in TCM (traditional Chinese medications). The biological activities of celastrol have been extensively explored; it has been documented that celastrol has anticancer activity against various tumors, including leukemia, melanoma glioma, and prostate cancer.19–28 The celastrol anticancer activity was owed to its capability to compromise different cellular mechanisms in cancer cells. Celastrol is found to suppress tumor necrotic factor (TNF) induced cancer cells metastasis, nuclear factor (NF)-kB signaling, heat shock protein (HSP) 90, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), proteasome, and modulates TRAIL-induced apoptosis ... Celastrol inhibited pancreatic cancer proliferation through affecting several signaling pathways. The celastrol’s inhibitory effects on pancreatic cancer was basically attributed to DDIT3 and ATF3 activation and suppression of RRM2 and MCM4 genes" - See Thunder of God Vine at Amazon.com.
  • Role of alpha-lipoic acid in counteracting paclitaxel- and doxorubicin-induced toxicities: a randomized controlled trial in breast cancer patients - Support Care Cancer 2022 May 21 - "Paclitaxel and doxorubicin are associated with neurotoxicity and cardiotoxicity respectively ... Patients were assessed by National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI-CTCAE version 4.0) for grading of neuropathy and by 12-item neurotoxicity questionnaire (Ntx-12) ... As compared to placebo, ALA provoked significant improvement in NCI-CTCAE neuropathy grading and Ntx-12 score after the end of 9th and 12th weeks of paclitaxel intake ... Alpha-lipoic acid may represent a promising adjuvant therapy to attenuate paclitaxel-associated neuropathy and doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in women with breast cancer" - See alpha lipoic acid at Amazon.com.
  • Hesperidin protects against cisplatin-induced cardiotoxicity in mice by regulating the p62-Keap1-Nrf2 pathway - Food Funct 2022 Mar 24 - "Hesperidin (HES) is an abundant and economical dietary bioflavonoid, and it has several pharmacological properties such as antioxidant activity and powerful cardiac protection ... HES treatment reduced CP-induced cardiac pathologic damage and leakage of the myocardial markers cardiac troponin I (cTnI), creatine kinase (CK), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). HES treatment reduced levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA), which is an oxidative product, and increased antioxidant marker levels including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH). HES also reduced the CP-induced release of the inflammatory factors tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6 ... These findings suggest that HES may be a promising protective agent against CP cardiotoxicity in future anticancer clinical practice" - See hesperidin at Amazon.com.
  • Effect of turmeric supplementation on the pharmacokinetics of paclitaxel in breast cancer patients: A study with population pharmacokinetics approach - Phytother Res 2022 Feb 18 - "Turmeric is one of the most used herbal supplements among cancer patients. It reportedly modulates the function of CYP450 enzymes and drug transporters. This study investigates the effect of turmeric on the pharmacokinetics of paclitaxel in breast cancer patients ... turmeric at the recommended dose can be combined safely with paclitaxel" - See turmeric extract at Amazon.com.
  • Could Probiotics Reduce 'Chemo Brain' in Breast Cancer Patients? - Medscape, 1/18/22 - "The finding that probiotic treatment given alongside chemotherapy is sufficient to, in part, protect against memory disturbances in these patients suggests that there may be some neuroprotection conferred by the probiotic treatment" - See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com.
  • Quercetin attenuates the cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin-cyclophosphamide regimen and potentiates its chemotherapeutic effect against triple-negative breast cancer - Phytother Res 2021 Dec 23 - "Doxorubicin combined with cyclophosphamide (AC) is the most commonly used regimen for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) chemotherapy; however, its clinical application is severely limited by its serious adverse effect on cardiomyocytes. The cardiotoxicity of AC is mainly the result of oxidative stress caused by the imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidants, and it also involves multiple signaling pathways. Quercetin (Que) has been proven to possess strong antioxidant activity, and therefore we investigated whether it had potential protective effect against AC-induced cardiotoxicity ... Que could enhance the antitumor activity of AC by inhibiting ROS accumulation and ERK1/2 pathway in TNBC cells. In addition, our in vivo studies further confirmed that Que could enhance the chemotherapeutic effect of AC against TNBC while it reduced the injury of cardiotoxicity induced by AC. Therefore, Que could be used as a novel agent for the treatment of cardiotoxicity induced by AC regimen in TNBC chemotherapy" - See quercetin at Amazon.com.
  • Curcumin and its derivatives in cancer therapy: Potentiating antitumor activity of cisplatin and reducing side effects - Phytother Res 2021 Oct 25 - "Curcumin is a phytochemical isolated from Curcuma longa with potent tumor-suppressor activity, which has shown significant efficacy in pre-clinical and clinical studies. Curcumin stimulates cell death, triggers cycle arrest, and suppresses oncogenic pathways, thereby suppressing cancer progression. Cisplatin (CP) stimulates DNA damage and apoptosis in cancer chemotherapy. However, CP has adverse effects on several organs of the body, and drug resistance is frequently observed ... Curcumin administration reduces ROS levels to prevent apoptosis in normal cells. Furthermore, curcumin can inhibit inflammation via down-regulation of NF-κB to maintain the normal function of organs. Curcumin and its nanoformulations can reduce the hepatoxicity, neurotoxicity, renal toxicity, ototoxicity, and cardiotoxicity caused by CP. Notably, curcumin potentiates CP cytotoxicity via mediating cell death and cycle arrest. Besides, curcumin suppresses the STAT3 and NF-ĸB as tumor-promoting pathways, to enhance CP sensitivity and prevent drug resistance. The targeted delivery of curcumin and CP to tumor cells can be mediated nanostructures. In addition, curcumin derivatives are also able to reduce CP-mediated side effects, and increase CP cytotoxicity against various cancer types" - See curcumin at Amazon.com and iHerb.
  • Radiosensitizing Effect of Curcumin on Human Bladder Cancer Cell Lines: Impact on DNA Repair Mechanisms - Nutr Cancer 2021 Oct 13 - "Chemo-radiotherapy is one of the promising approaches to treat bladder cancer, but its effectiveness is limited to sensitive patients. Polyphenol curcumin has shown anticancer and radiosensitizing potentials, but the mechanism is not fully understood ... curcumin treatment increased the radiosensitivity by modifying the DNA double-strand breaks repair kinetics of the most radioresistant cells UM-UC6 without affecting the radiosensitive UM-UC5. Moreover, UM-UC6 cell survival and proliferation was significantly decreased after the combination of curcumin with radiation. Bladder cell migration was also inhibited considerably. Curcumin was also shown to reduce the number and the volume of bladder cancer spheres of both cell lines. This study revealed that curcumin was able to radiosensitize resistant bladder cell line without affecting the sensitive one with minimal side effects through enhancing DNA damage signaling and repair pathway" - See curcumin at Amazon.com and iHerb.
  • Lactoferrin supplementation for taste and smell abnormalities among patients receiving cancer chemotherapy - Support Care Cancer 2021 Oct 13 - "Taste and smell abnormalities (TSA) are common in patients receiving chemotherapy and may lead to altered nutritional intake, treatment withdrawal, and impaired quality of life. Lipid peroxidation in the oral cavity is one cause of TSA. Lactoferrin (LFN), an iron-binding salivary protein, reduces production of lipid oxidation byproducts and has been shown to reduce perception of unpleasant flavors ... A total of 26 patients enrolled; 19 remained on study at day 30 and 17 at day 60. Baseline mean TSQ scores were 6.5 (taste), 3.1 (smell), and 9.6 (composite). By day 30, mean composite TSQ score improved by 1.7 (p = 0.018); taste and smell improved by 0.6 (p = 0.062) and 1.1 (p = 0.042), respectively. From baseline to day 60, mean composite TSQ score improved by 3.8 (p < 0.0001); taste and smell improved by 1.9 (p = 0.001) and 1.8 (p = 0.003)" - See lactoferrin at Amazon.com.
  • Chemopreventive effect of spirulina microalgae on an animal model of glioblastoma via down-regulation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR and up-regulation of miR-34a/miR-125B expression - Phytother Res 2021 Oct 4 - "This is the first in vivo report on the chemo-preventive effect of Spi against glioblastoma, suggesting its potential use in the chemoprevention of this cancer and the antiglioma molecular mechanism of Spi" - See spirulina at Amazon.com.
  • Quercetin inhibiting the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction for immune-enhancing cancer chemopreventive agent - Phytother Res 2021 Sep 24 - "Targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoints has achieved significant positive results in the treatment of multiple cancers. Quercetin is one of the most abundant dietary flavonoids found in various vegetables and fruits, and has a wide range of biological activities including immunomodulation ... Treatment with quercetin dihydrate promoted the killing activity of T cells on MDA-MB-231 and NCI-H460 cancer cells. Experiments using the xenograft mouse model showed that the growth rate of tumor volumes and masses in the quercetin dihydrate-treated mice were decreased. Immunohistochemistry of the tumors showed that CD8, GZMB, and IFN-γ were increased in the quercetin dihydrate-treated mice. These results suggest that quercetin dihydrate attenuates the inhibitory effect of PD-L1 on T cells by inhibiting the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction, which has an exciting potential to be used as a cancer chemopreventive agent" - See quercetin at Amazon.com and iHerb.
  • Curcumin-cisplatin chemotherapy: A novel strategy in promoting chemotherapy efficacy and reducing side effects - Phytother Res 2021 Aug 4 - "The efficacy of chemotherapy in cancer therapy is limited due to resistance, treatment selectivity, and severe adverse effects. Immunotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiation, and surgery are the most common therapeutic strategies for treatment, with chemotherapy being the most successful. Nonetheless, these treatments exhibit poor effectiveness due to toxicity and resistance. Therefore, combination therapies of natural products may be used as an effective and novel strategy to overcome such barriers. Cisplatin is a platinum-based chemotherapy agent, and when administered alone, it can lead to severe adverse effects and resistance mechanism resulting in therapeutic failure. Curcumin is a polyphenolic compound extracted from turmeric (Curcuma longa) exhibiting anticancer potential with minimal adverse effects. The combination therapy of curcumin and cisplatin is a novel strategy to mitigate/attenuate cisplatin-related adverse effects and improve the barrier of resistance reducing unwanted effects. However, there are uncertainties on the efficacy of curcumin, and more in depth and high-quality studies are needed" - See curcumin at Amazon.com and iHerb.
  • Role and Therapeutic Potential of Melatonin in Various Type of Cancers - Onco Targets Ther 2021 Mar 18 - "Cancer is a large group of diseases and the second leading cause of death worldwide. Lung, prostate, colorectal, stomach, and liver cancers are the most common types of cancer in men, whereas breast, colorectal, lung, cervical, and thyroid cancers are the most common among women. Presently, various treatment strategies, including surgical resection combined with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, nanotherapy, and immunotherapy, have been used as conventional treatments for patients with cancer. However, the clinical outcomes of advanced-stage disease remain relatively unfavorable owing to the emergence of chemoresistance, toxicity, and other undesired detrimental side effects. Therefore, new therapies to overcome these limitations are indispensable. Recently, there has been considerable evidence from experimental and clinical studies suggesting that melatonin can be used to prevent and treat cancer. Studies have confirmed that melatonin mitigates the pathogenesis of cancer by directly affecting carcinogenesis and indirectly disrupting the circadian cycle. Melatonin (MLT) is nontoxic and exhibits a range of beneficial effects against cancer via apoptotic, antiangiogenic, antiproliferative, and metastasis-inhibitory pathways. The combination of melatonin with conventional drugs improves the drug sensitivity of cancers, including solid and liquid tumors" - See melatonin at Amazon.com.
  • Berberine-A potent chemosensitizer and chemoprotector to conventional cancer therapies - Phytother Res 2021 Feb 8 - "Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are mainstay treatments for cancer patients. However, their clinical outcomes are highly limited by the resistance of malignant tumors to these therapies and the incurrence of serious damages in vital organs. This in turn necessitates the development of adjunct drugs that overcomes chemo/radioresistance in refractory cancers and protects vital organs from the cytotoxic effects of cancer therapies. In recent years, Berberine (BBR), a natural isoquinoline alkaloid has garnered more attention due to its potent chemosensitizing and chemoprotective properties. BBR effectively sensitizes refractory cancers to chemotherapy and radiotherapy by ameliorating the diverse events underlying therapy resistance. Furthermore, it protects the heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys from severe damages caused by these therapies. In this review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms underlying the chemo/radiosensitizing and chemo/radioprotective potential of BBR during cancer treatment." - See berberine at Amazon.com.
  • Ginsenoside Rg3 (Shenyi Capsule) Combined with Chemotherapy for Digestive System Cancer in China: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019 Dec 17 - "Ginsenoside Rg3 combined with chemotherapy can improve the clinical efficacy and alleviate treatment-induced side effects for digestive system cancer" - See ginseng at Amazon.com.
  • L-Ascorbic Acid and α-Tocopherol Reduces Hepatotoxicity Associated with Arsenic Trioxide Chemotherapy by Modulating Nrf2 and Bcl2 Transcription Factors in Chang liver Cells - Nutr Cancer. 2018 Apr 26:1-13 - "Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) is a promising new regimen for the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). The induction of oxidative stress mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and excessive intracellular calcium influx are the main reasons behind As2O3 toxicity ... Cotreatment of antioxidant vitamins with As2O3 resulted in a significant reversal of oxidative stress markers. Our findings substantiate the effect of antioxidant vitamins in protecting the hepatocytes from oxidative stress which may be attributed through Nrf2 (Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2) mediated upregulation of Bcl2 (B-cell lymphoma 2) expression" - See vitamin C products at Amazon.com and vitamin E products at Amazon.com.
  • Chemotherapy pain could be eased by jetlag drug, study suggests - Science Daily, 9/15/17 - "melatonin given prior to chemotherapy limited the damaging effect on nerve cells and the development of pain symptoms ... In this study, melatonin did not alleviate pain when CINP had already developed, suggesting that its potential benefits could be as prevention rather than cure ... melatonin treatment did not interfere with the beneficial anticancer effects of chemotherapy in human breast and ovarian cancer cells ... Findings also showed that melatonin reduced damage caused by chemotherapy to vital parts of nerve cells known as mitochondria" - See melatonin at Amazon.com.
  • Effect of Red Ginseng on Genotoxicity and Health-Related Quality of Life after Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients with Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: A Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial - Nutrients. 2017 Jul 19;9(7) - "health-related quality of life (HRQL) ... there were no differences in adverse events between placebo and red ginseng groups. In terms of HRQL, red ginseng was associated with improved emotional functioning and decreased symptoms of fatigue, nausea and vomiting, and dyspnea, reduced anxiety and interference affecting life and improved daytime somnolence" - See red ginseng extract at Amazon.com.
  • Nephroprotective Effects of Anthocyanin from the Fruits of Panax ginseng (GFA) on Cisplatin-Induced Acute Kidney Injury in Mice - Phytother Res. 2017 Jul 21 - "Cisplatin is an effective anticancer chemotherapeutic agent, but the use of cisplatin in the clinic is severely limited by side effects. Nephrotoxicity is a major factor that contributes to the side effects of cisplatin chemotherapy. The aim of this research was to survey the nephroprotective effects of anthocyanin from the fruits of Panax ginseng (GFA) in a murine model of cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury ... In conclusion, the findings from the present investigation demonstrate that GFA pre-administration can significantly prevent cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity, which may be related to its antioxidant, anti-apoptotic and antiinflammatory effects" - See Panax ginseng at Amazon.com.
  • Nicotinamide riboside (vitamin B3) prevents nerve pain caused by cancer drugs - Science Daily, 2/23/17 - "Although chemotherapies have improved cancer survival rates, many of these drugs also cause debilitating side effects that decrease the quality of life of patients and survivors. In particular, many anti-cancer drugs cause chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) -- nerve damage and pain ... Prophylactic treatment with daily doses of NR (200 mg/kg) for seven days before chemotherapy was started and continued for 24 days after the chemotherapy ended prevented the hypersensitivity to touch in the rats. This protective effect lasted for at least two weeks after the NR supplementation stopped" - See nicotinamide riboside at Amazon.com.
  • Fish Oil Supplementation Enhances Pulmonary Strength and Endurance in Women Undergoing Chemotherapy - Nutr Cancer. 2016 Jun 24:1-8 - "We investigated the effect of fish oil (FO) supplementation, at 4 g/day, on the respiratory performance and blood lipid profile of 32 patients with breast cancer at the beginning of chemotherapy. They were randomized into two groups: control (C) and FO supplemented (S) ... The S group showed a significant increase in the maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressure (P ≤ 0.05 vs. Day 0) and in the maximum voluntary ventilation (P ��� 0.05). In the treadmill 6-min-walk test, the S group had a significant increase in the walked distance (P ≤ 0.05). Blood lactate concentration was significantly lower in the S group after 60 days, at rest, when compared to C (P ≤ 0.05). Plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentration remained the same after 60 days of supplementation, while in the C group, it decreased significantly (P ≤ 0.05 Day 0 vs. Day 60). Triacylglycerol (TAG) plasma concentration in the S group was lower when compared to the C group (P ≤ 0.05 Day 60S vs. Day 60). Supplementation with FO caused improvement in the respiratory muscle strength and endurance, ameliorated functional performance, and kept TAG, HDL cholesterol, and lactate plasma concentration at normal levels" - See fish oil supplements at Amazon.com.
  • Melatonin Prevents Mitochondrial Damage Induced by Doxorubicin in Mouse Fibroblasts Through Ampk-Ppar Gamma-Dependent Mechanisms - Med Sci Monit. 2016 Feb 10;22:438-46 - "Melatonin given with doxorubicin succesfully countered apoptosis generated by doxorubicin alone, which points to its potential as a protective agent against cell death in doxorubicin chemotherapy. This also implies that patients should be receiving doxorubicin treatment when their physiological level of melatonin is at its highest, which is early in the morning" - See melatonin at Amazon.com.
  • The effect of melatonin on sleep and quality of life in patients with advanced breast cancer - Support Care Cancer. 2015 Aug 11 - "Thirty-two patients with metastatic breast cancer, receiving hormonal or trastuzumab therapy, took 5 mg of melatonin at bedtime for 2 months ... Bedtime melatonin was associated with a significant improvement in a marker of objective sleep quality, sleep fragmentation and quantity, subjective sleep, fatigue severity, global quality of life, and social and cognitive functioning scales. Morning clock gene expression was increased following bedtime melatonin intake" - See melatonin at Amazon.com.  I like the peppermint flavored by Source Naturals.
  • Fish Oil for Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy - Medscape, 8/6/15 - "The supplementation of fish oil significantly (p < 0.01) increased superoxide dismutases, glutathione reductase and catalase activity in red blood cells as well as the total plasma antioxidant status in the patients. This approach of using omega-3 fatty acids as an adjuvant treatment for breast cancer may help oncologists to manage the side effects of ongoing chemotherapy by improving the antioxidant status in patients" - See fish oil supplements at Amazon.com.
  • Omega-3 fatty acids may help improve treatment, quality of life in cancer patients - Science Daily, 7/28/15 - "The study found evidence of activity in response and disease stabilization rates, reduction in liver metastasis volume, and improved quality of life scores in this group of patients"
  • Resveratrol, quercetin could provide new options for cancer therapy - Science Daily, 7/16/15 - "The co-administration of high levels of resveratrol and quercetin, in both in vitro and in vivo studies, shows that it significantly reduces the cardiac toxicity of Adriamycin," Alani said. "And these compounds have a synergistic effect that enhances the efficacy of the cancer drug, by sensitizing the cancer cells to the effects of the drug." - See ReserveAge Resveratrol Vegetarian Capsules, 500 Mg, 60-Count at Amazon.com and Quercetin at Amazon.com.
  • Ginseng Purified Dry Extract, BST204, Improved Cancer Chemotherapy-Related Fatigue and Toxicity in Mice - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:197459 - "BST204 was prepared by incubating crude ginseng extract with ginsenoside-β-glucosidase ... Treatment with BST204 significantly increased the running wheel activity and forced swimming time compared to the control group ... This result suggests that BST204 may improve chemotherapy-related fatigue and adverse toxic side effects" - See ginseng at Amazon.com.
  • Resveratrol protects against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in aged hearts through the SIRT1-USP7 axis - J Physiol. 2015 Jan 13 - "A compromised cardiac function is often seen in elderly cancer patients receiving doxorubicin therapy ... resveratrol ameliorates doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in the aged hearts through the restoration of SIRT1 activity to attenuate USP7-related catabolic/pro-apoptotic signalling" - See ReserveAge Resveratrol Vegetarian Capsules, 500 Mg, 60-Count at Amazon.com.
  • Hesperidin protects testicular and spermatological damages induced by cisplatin in rats - Andrologia. 2014 Sep 13 - "this study clearly demonstrated that hesperidin has protective effects on cisplatin-induced reproductive system toxicity depending on its antioxidant properties. Thus, it is thought that hesperidin may be useful against cisplatin toxicity in patients with cancer in terms of reproductive system" - See hesperidin at Amazon.com.
  • Is Ginseng Effective for Cancer-Related Fatigue? - Medscape, 8/1/14 - "Barton and colleagues[1] performed a phase 3, multisite, double-blind, randomized trial evaluating the use of Wisconsin ginseng (P quinquefolius) (3% ginsenosides) 2000 mg daily vs placebo for 8 weeks in 364 patients with CRF. Fatigue was evaluated using the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory-Short Form (MFSI-SF) ... At 4 weeks, change from baseline MFSI-SF score in the ginseng group (n = 147) was 14.4 vs 8.2 in the placebo group (n = 153) (P = .07). At 8 weeks, the ginseng group (n = 138) had a change in score of 20 vs 10.3 in the placebo group (n = 133) (P = .003). Patients receiving active cancer therapy reported greater benefit than those who had completed treatment. Self-reported toxicities were similar between groups" - See ginseng at Amazon.com.
  • Alpha-Lipoic Acid Protects Against Cisplatin-Induced Ototoxicity via the Regulation of MAPKs and Proinflammatory Cytokines - Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2014 May 2 - "these results indicate that the protective effects of ALA against cisplatin-induced ototoxicity are mediated via the regulation of MAPKs and proinflammatory cytokines" - See alpha lipoic acid products at Amazon.com.
  • Protective Effect of Standardized Extract of Ginkgo biloba against Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:846126 - "Cisplatin (CDDP) is a potent antitumor compound widely used with a notably side effect of nephrotoxicity inducing oxidative stress and apoptosis in kidneys ... These findings suggested that EGb's renoprotective effect might be mediated by not only its well-known antioxidant activity but also the anti-inflammatory activity" - See Ginkgo biloba at Amazon.com.
  • Fish oil, contained in eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, attenuates testicular and spermatological damage induced by cisplatin in rats - Andrologia. 2013 Dec 18 - "The aim of this study was to investigate the beneficial effects of the fish oil (FO) supplementation on oxidative stress, sperm characteristics and histological alterations in the male reproductive system of rats against cisplatin (CP) toxicity. The rats were divided randomly into 4 equal groups (control, FO, CP and FO + CP) ... The results showed that CP caused a significant oxidative damage via induction of lipid peroxidation and reduction in the antioxidant defence system potency in the testis tissue. In addition, sperm motility and sperm concentration significantly decreased but the abnormal sperm rate and histopathological testicular damage increased with CP treatment. On the other hand, FO treatment prevented oxidative, histopathological and spermatological effects of CP and reversed side effects of CP" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
  • The Protective Role of Resveratrol against Arsenic Trioxide-Induced Cardiotoxicity - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:407839 - "Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) shows substantial anticancer activity in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Unfortunately, limiting the application of this effective agent to APL patients is severe cardiotoxicity. Resveratrol, the natural food-derived polyphenolic compound, is well known for its antioxidant properties and protects the cardiovascular system. But the potential role of resveratrol against As2O3 in heart via nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is unclear ... Our findings suggest coadministration with resveratrol, and As2O3 might provide a novel therapeutic strategy for APL" - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.
  • Protective effect of Pumpkin seed extract on sperm characteristics, biochemical parameters and epididymal histology in adult male rats treated with Cyclophosphamide - Andrologia. 2013 Oct 11 - "Cancer treatment with cyclophosphamide (CP) may result in reproductive toxicity as one of its side effects. The pumpkin seed is a rich natural source of antioxidant ... Male adult Wistar rats were categorised into four groups. Group 1 served as control and received intraperitoneal (IP) injection of isotonic saline solution. Group 2 rats were treated with CP by IP injection in a single dose of 100 mg/kg body weight, only once. Group 3 and 4 received CP plus 300 and 600 mg/kg pumpkin seed extract respectively. Six weeks after treatment, sperm characteristics, biochemical parameters and histopathological changes were examined. Results showed that, sperm characteristics in CP-treated rats were significantly decreased ... pumpkin seed extract could improve the above-mentioned parameters remarkably in CP-treated rats. Our findings indicated that pumpkin seed extract might be used as protective agent against CP-induced reproductive toxicity" - See pumpkin seed extracts at iHerb.
  • Wisconsin Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) to Improve Cancer-Related Fatigue - Medscape, 9/27/13 - "cancer-related fatigue (CRF) ... A multisite, double-blind trial randomized fatigued cancer survivors to 2000mg of American ginseng vs a placebo for 8 weeks ... Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory–Short Form (MFSI-SF) ... A statistically significant difference was seen at 8 weeks with a change score of 20 (SD = 27) for the ginseng group and 10.3 (SD = 26.1) for the placebo group (P = .003). Greater benefit was reported in patients receiving active cancer treatment vs those who had completed treatment. Toxicities per self-report and CTCAE grading did not differ statistically significantly between arms" - See ginseng at Amazon.com.
  • Celery, artichokes contain flavonoids that kill human pancreatic cancer cells - Science Daily, 8/15/13 - "Apigenin alone induced cell death in two aggressive human pancreatic cancer cell lines. But we received the best results when we pre-treated cancer cells with apigenin for 24 hours, then applied the chemotherapeutic drug gemcitabine for 36 hours ... our study indicated that taking antioxidant supplements on the same day as chemotherapeutic drugs may negate the effect of those drugs ... One of the ways that chemotherapeutic drugs kill cells is based on their pro-oxidant activity, meaning that flavonoids and chemotherapeutic drugs may compete with each other when they're introduced at the same time ... In one of the cancer cell lines, the percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis went from 8.4 percent in cells that had not been treated with the flavonoid to 43.8 percent in cells that had been treated with a 50-micromolar dose. In this case, no chemotherapy drug had been added" - See Garden of Life, Radical Fruits Antioxidant Complex at Amazon.com.
  • Coadministration of Erlotinib and Curcumin Augmentatively Reduces Cell Viability in Lung Cancer Cells - Phytother Res. 2013 Aug 13 - "Resistance to erlotinib in lung cancer cases includes T790M mutant epidermal growth factor receptor and c-Met gene amplification, but other unknown mechanisms account for about 30% of the resistance. Activation of the nuclear factor kappa B (NFkappaB)-related pathways in association with the reduction in ikappaB level may be one of such potential mechanisms. It is known that curcumin inhibits the inducible activation of NFkappaB at least in part by sustaining ikappaB expression level ... We found that erlotinib and curcumin augmentatively reduced cell viability ... Furthermore, coadministration of erlotinib and/or curcumin augmentatively attenuated the growth of PC9 tumors in mice" - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.
  • Silibinin reverses drug resistance in human small-cell lung carcinoma cells - Cancer Lett. 2013 Jul 20 - "The possible synergistic relationship between silibinin and chemotherapy drugs was determined by exposure of VPA17 cells to 1:1 ratios of their respective IC50 values, with serial dilutions at 0.25-2.0 x IC50 and calculation of the combination index (CI). Silibinin and etoposide showed synergism (CI = 0.46 at ED50), as did silibinin and doxorubicin (CI = 0.24 at ED50). These data indicate that in SCLC, silibinin is pro-apoptotic, reverses MDR and acts synergistically with chemotherapy drugs. Silibinin, a non-toxic natural product may be useful in the treatment of drug-resistant SCLC" - See silymarin at Amazon.com.
  • Wisconsin Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) to Improve Cancer-Related Fatigue: A Randomized, Double-Blind Trial, N07C2 - J Natl Cancer Inst. 2013 Jul 13 - "A multisite, double-blind trial randomized fatigued cancer survivors to 2000mg of American ginseng vs a placebo for 8 weeks ... Three hundred sixty-four participants were enrolled from 40 institutions ... Data support the benefit of American ginseng, 2000mg daily, on CRF over an 8-week period. There were no discernible toxicities associated with the treatment" - See ginseng at Amazon.com.
  • Omega 3 fatty acids increase the chemo-sensitivity of B-CLL-derived cell lines EHEB and MEC-2 and of B-PLL-derived cell line JVM-2 to anti-cancer drugs doxorubicin, vincristine and fludarabine - Lipids Health Dis. 2013 Mar 16;12(1):36 - "N-3's are promising chemo-sensitizing agents for the treatment of CLL. Selective enhancement of chemo-sensitivity of EHEB, JVM-2 and MEC-2 to drugs by n-3 that is not dependent on increased lipid peroxidation and ROS generation indicates alternative mechanisms by which n-3 enhances chemo-sensitivity" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
  • Omega-3 fatty acids in cancer - Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2013 Jan 7 - "Inflammation dictates tumour initiation, progression and growth. Omega-3 fatty acids exert anti-inflammatory effects, and therefore recent studies investigated their role in cancer prevention, in cancer cachexia treatment and in enhancement of antitumour therapies. Limited evidence suggests a role for omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in cancer prevention, but they have been shown to preserve muscle mass and function in cancer patients even during active treatment. During chemotherapy, omega-3 fatty acids may contribute to a reduced inflammatory response, but whether cancer treatment toxicity can be prevented remains to be assessed. Finally, small studies showed that omega-3 fatty acids increase response rate to chemotherapy" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
  • Antioxidant supplementation has a positive effect on oxidative stress and hematological toxicity during oncology treatment in cervical cancer patients - Support Care Cancer. 2012 Dec 14 - "Hematological toxicity and oxidative stress are common in cancer patients ... Randomized, single-blinded controlled trial in women with cervical cancer treated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy with cisplatin. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive antioxidant supplement or placebo supplement ... At the end of the oncology treatment, hemoglobin levels were maintained, and global QoL was better only in the supplemented group ... Antioxidant supplementation in patients treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy apparently decreased oxidative stress, maintained hemoglobin levels, and improved QoL" - See Garden of Life, Radical Fruits Antioxidant Complex at Amazon.com.
  • Ginseng May Banish Cancer Fatigue, New Study Finds - ABC News, 6/4/12 - "Researchers gave 2,000 milligrams of pure ground American ginseng or a placebo pill to 340 patients being treated for cancer and cancer survivors who had finished their treatment. After four weeks, patients reported little change in their cancer-related fatigue. But after eight weeks, the patients taking ginseng reported feeling generally more energized than their sugar pill-popping peers. The response was particularly strong among patients who were currently undergoing cancer treatment ... Some studies have shown that ginseng decreases inflammation and the stress hormone cortisol, both of which may be contributing factors to cancer-related fatigue ... Extracts of ginseng that are alcohol based change a characteristic of the ginseng to be somewhat estrogenic ... Stay with very reputable companies" - See ginseng at Amazon.com.
  • Ginger (Zingiber officinale) reduces acute chemotherapy-induced nausea: a URCC CCOP study of 576 patients - Support Care Cancer. 2011 Aug 5 - "A total of 576 patients were included in final analysis (91% female, mean age = 53). Mixed model analyses demonstrated that all doses of ginger significantly reduced acute nausea severity compared to placebo on Day 1 of chemotherapy (p = 0.003). The largest reduction in nausea intensity occurred with 0.5 g and 1.0 g of ginger (p����= 0.017 and p = 0.036, respectively). Anticipatory nausea was a key factor in acute chemotherapy-induced nausea (p < 0.0001) ... Ginger supplementation at a daily dose of 0.5 g-1.0 g significantly aids in reduction of the severity of acute chemotherapy-induced nausea in adult cancer patients" - See ginger products at iHerb.
  • Fish oil fights weight loss due to chemotherapy - Science Daily, 2/28/11 - "supplementing the diet with fish oil may prevent muscle and weight loss that commonly occurs in cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy ... Researchers suspect that supplementing the diet with fish oil -- which contains omega-3 fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid -- may help patients maintain or gain muscle ... Patients who did not take fish oil lost an average of 2.3 kilograms whereas patients receiving fish oil maintained their weight. Patients with the greatest increase in eicosapentaenoic acid concentration in the blood following fish oil supplementation had the greatest gains in muscle. Sixty-nine percent of patients in the fish oil group gained or maintained muscle mass. Comparatively, only 29 percent of patients in the standard care group maintained muscle mass, and overall, patients in this group lost 1 kilogram of muscle. No difference in total fat tissue was observed between the two groups" - Note: 2.3 kilograms equals 5.1 pounds.  See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
  • Effect of vitamins C and E on antioxidant status of breast-cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy - J Clin Pharm Ther. 2011 Jan 4 - "VCE (vitamin C 500 mg tablet and vitamin E 400 mg gelatin capsule ... The untreated group showed significantly lower levels of antioxidant enzymes (P<0.001) and reduced glutathione (P<0.001), and more extensive lipid peroxidation (P<0.001) and DNA damage than healthy controls. Similar but less pronounced patterns were observed in the patients receiving chemotherapy alone. The group of patients receiving VCE supplementation had all the marker levels moving towards normal values. Activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione-S-transferase and glutathione reductase, and the levels of reduced glutathione were significantly increased (P<0.01) while, the levels of malondialdehyde and DNA damage were significantly (P<0.01) reduced in the VCE supplemented group relative to those of patients receiving chemotherapy alone as well as relative to the pretreatment levels"
  • Vitamin supplement use during breast cancer treatment and survival: a prospective cohort study - Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2010 Dec 21 - "Antioxidants may protect normal cells from the oxidative damage that occurs during radiotherapy and certain chemotherapy regimens, however, the same mechanism could protect tumor cells and potentially reduce effectiveness of cancer treatments ... Vitamin use shortly after breast cancer diagnosis was associated with reduced mortality and recurrence risk, adjusted for multiple lifestyle factors, sociodemographics, and known clinical prognostic factors. Women who used antioxidants (vitamin E, vitamin C, multivitamins) had 18% reduced mortality risk (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.82, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.65-1.02) and 22% reduced recurrence risk (HR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.63-0.95). The inverse association was found regardless of whether vitamin use was concurrent or non-concurrent with chemotherapy, but was only present among patients who did not receive radiotherapy"
  • DHA omega-3 may improve chemotherapy outcomes: Study - Nutra USA, 2/10/10 - "Our data show for the first time that a dietary intervention targeted on DHA is a feasible approach that has potential to substantially increase survival in metastatic breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy ... the overall survival of women was 22 months, and reached 34 months in women with the highest DHA levels in their blood" - [Abstract] - See Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
  • Improving outcome of chemotherapy of metastatic breast cancer by docosahexaenoic acid: a phase II trial - Br J Cancer. 2009 Dec 15;101(12):1978-85 - "The objective response rate was 44%. With a mean follow-up time of 31 months (range 2-96 months), the median TTP was 6 months. Median OS was 22 months and reached 34 months in the sub-population of patients (n = 12) with the highest plasma DHA incorporation. The most common grade 3 or 4 toxicity was neutropaenia (80%). CONCLUSION: DHA during chemotherapy was devoid of adverse side effects and can improve the outcome of chemotherapy when highly incorporated. DHA has a potential to specifically chemosensitise tumours" - See Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
  • Milk thistle herb protects cancer patients from chemotherapy-associated liver toxicity - Science Daily, 12/27/09 - "Fifty children with ALL were enrolled in the study and were randomized to receive milk thistle or placebo for 28 days. At the start of the study, all of the children had evidence of liver inflammation as measured by elevations in blood levels of the liver enzymes, aspartate amino transferase (AST) and amino alanine transferase (ALT). When the investigators performed liver function tests on the children at day 56 (28 days after receiving the herb or placebo), children receiving milk thistle had improvements in their liver enzymes compared with children receiving a placebo. Specifically, the group that took milk thistle had significantly lower levels of AST and a trend towards significantly lower levels of ALT. Taking milk thistle also seemed to help keep fewer patients from having to lower the dose of their medications: chemotherapy doses were reduced in 61 percent of the group receiving milk thistle, compared with 72 percent of the placebo group. In addition, milk thistle appeared to be safe for consumption" - See silymarin (milk thistle) products at iHerb.
  • Herb May Treat Chemotherapy Liver Damage - WebMD, 12/14/09 - "The youths who took milk thistle had significantly lower levels of AST and a trend toward significant lower levels of ALT, the researchers say ... Milk thistle also seemed to help keep fewer patients from having to lower the dose of their chemotherapy drugs ... Chemotherapy doses were reduced in 61% of those on milk thistle, compared to 72% in the placebo group. Milk thistle appeared to be safe for consumption, the researchers write" - See silymarin (milk thistle) products at iHerb.
  • Workout Fights Chemo Fatigue - WebMD, 10/13/09
  • Support For Adjunctive Vitamin C Treatment In Cancer - Science Daily, 3/5/09 - "Challem points out two main problems with the study: the oxidized form of vitamin C (dehydroascorbic acid) and not actual vitamin C (ascorbic acid) was used; and in the mouse experiments, the animals were given toxic doses of dehydroascorbic acid, a compound that is not used as a dietary supplement in humans ... This study and the subsequent headlines [it generated] were a grievous disservice to physicians and patients with cancer ... considerable positive research…has shown striking benefits from high-dose vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in cancer cells and animals—and in actual human beings"
  • Green Tea Blocks Benefits Of Cancer Drug - Science Daily, 2/3/09
  • Chemotherapy is linked to severe vitamin D deficiency in patients with colorectal cancer - Int J Colorectal Dis. 2008 Oct 2 - "Chemotherapy is associated with a significant increase in the risk of severe vitamin D deficiency. Patients with colorectal cancer, especially those receiving chemotherapy, should be considered for aggressive vitamin D replacement strategies" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
  • Vitamin C, Chemotherapy: Bad Combo? - WebMD, 10/1/08 - "What vitamin C does is protect the cancer cells from the chemotherapy mainly by protecting their mitochondria [the cell's power sources]"
  • Antioxidant Supplements May Lessen Benefit Of Radiation And Chemotherapy - Science Daily, 5/27/08
  • Effects of curcumin on bladder cancer cells and development of urothelial tumors in a rat bladder carcinogenesis model - Cancer Lett. 2008 Mar 12 - "Exposure of human bladder cancer cells to curcumin resulted in the induction of apoptotic cell death and caused cells to arrest in the G2/M phase. The anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and Survivin protein was downregulated by the curcumin treatment together with enhancement of the Bax and p53 expression. The inhibitory activities of curcumin were stronger than those of cisplatin and could not be prevented by catalase pretreatment in T24 cells. Clonal assay indicated large-dose and short-term curcumin was lethal to bladder cancer cells. Moreover, the in vivo study revealed curcumin did induce apoptosis in situ, inhibit and slow the development of bladder cancer. These observations suggest that curcumin could prove an effective chemopreventive and chemotherapy agent for bladder cancer" - curcumin products at Amazon.com.
  • Indole-3-carbinol as a chemopreventive and anti-cancer agent - Cancer Lett. 2008 Feb 29 - "Indole-3-carbinol and its metabolite 3,3'-diindoylmethane (DIM) target multiple aspects of cancer cell-cycle regulation and survival including Akt-NFkappaB signaling, caspase activation, cyclin-dependent kinase activities, estrogen metabolism, estrogen receptor signaling, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and BRCA gene expression. This broad spectrum of anti-tumor activities in conjunction with low toxicity underscores the translational value of indole-3-carbinol and its metabolites in cancer prevention/therapy. Furthermore, novel anti-tumor agents with overlapping underlying mechanisms have emerged via structural optimization of indole-3-carbinol and DIM, which may provide considerable therapeutic advantages over the parental compounds with respect to chemical stability and anti-tumor potency. Together, these agents might foster new strategies for cancer prevention and therapy" - See indole-3-carbinol at Amazon.com and diindolylmethane at Amazon.com.
  • beta-Sitosterol induces G(2)/M arrest, endoreduplication, and apoptosis through the Bcl-2 and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways - Cancer Lett. 2008 Feb 29 - "beta-Sitosterol (SITO) is a potentially valuable candidate for cancer chemotherapy ... results suggest that SITO induces endoreduplication by promoting spindle microtubule dynamics through the Bcl-2 and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways" - See beta sitosterol at Amazon.com.
  • Chemoprevention, Naturally: Findings On Plant-derived Cancer Medicines - Science Daily, 12/6/07 - "rats fed a diet containing Polyphenon E, a standardized green tea polyphenol preparation, are less than half as likely to develop colon cancer ... After 34 weeks, rats that received Polyphenon E developed 55 percent fewer tumors compared to the control rats that did not receive Polyphenon E. Moreover, the tumors were 45 percent smaller in rats treated with green tea extract" - See green tea extract at Amazon.com.
  • Is There an Anticancer Diet? - WebMD, 12/6/07 - "Raw cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, broccoli sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower seem to reduce bladder cancer risk by about 40%"
  • Antioxidants may hamper cancer therapies - Nutra USA, 9/22/05 - "there are some indications that antioxidants can actually be harmful for patients being treated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy, since they may be unable to differentiate between normal cells and cancer cells. This may mean that treatment is rendered less effective"
  • Exercise Helps Recovery From Chemotherapy For Breast Cancer - Science Daily, 6/13/05
  • Chemotherapy Alone vs. Chemotherapy Plus High Dose Multiple Antioxidants in Patients with Advanced Non Small Cell Lung Cancer - J Am Coll Nutr. 2005 Feb;24(1):16-21 - "These results do not support the concern that antioxidants might protect cancer cells from the free radical damage induced by chemotherapy"
  • Green tea for a healthy prostate? - MSNBC, 1/21/05 - "phytochemicals called polyphenols attack growth factors and proteins, interrupting processes that increase the size of tumors, thus preventing them from spreading to other parts of the body ... green tea in mice with an aggressive form of cancer can decrease the spread or metastasis of prostate cancer to liver, bone and other sites ... the phytochemicals in green tea could inhibit the early stages of prostate cancer development"
  • Low antioxidant vitamin intakes are associated with increases in adverse effects of chemotherapy in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia - Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Jun;79(6):1029-36 - "Lower intakes of antioxidants are associated with increases in the adverse side effects of chemotherapy"
  • Selenium as an element in the treatment of ovarian cancer in women receiving chemotherapy - Gynecol Oncol. 2004 May;93(2):320-327 - "we conclude that there are beneficial effects caused by ingesting selenium, as a supportive element in chemotherapy" - See iHerb selenium products.
  • High-folate diets and breast cancer survival in a prospective cohort study - Nutr Cancer 2002;44(2):139-44 - "women with total folate intake in the highest tertile had a mortality risk ratio of 0.88 (95% confidence interval = 0.44-1.76) compared with cases in the lowest tertile of folate. These findings, although preliminary, afford some reassurance that folate supplementation is unlikely to have a significant adverse effect on survival after chemotherapy for breast cancer"
  • In Praise of Spirulina - CancerDecisions.com, 12/12/02 - "Spirulina also shows potential for decreasing the adverse effects of both chemotherapy and radiation"
  • Is it Safe to Use Antioxidant Supplements with Chemotherapy? - New Hope Natural Media, 10/10/02 - "A new clinical trial published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (2002;20:3478–83) provides the clearest evidence to date that taking antioxidant supplements does not interfere with the efficacy of cancer chemotherapy"
  • St. John's Wort and Chemo Don't Mix - WebMD, 8/20/02 - "Taking St. John's wort during chemotherapy could jeopardize the effectiveness of cancer treatment"
  • Sunlight, A Cancer Protector In The Guise Of A Villain? - Intelihealth, 8/6/02 - "Their theory was that vitamin D, which the skin produces when exposed to sunshine, somehow prevents the growth of malignant cells ... researchers are looking into vitamin D as a possible remedy. Clinical trials in people are now under way, testing whether the vitamin or similar compounds can treat tumors or bolster chemotherapy"
  • Three percent dietary fish oil concentrate increased efficacy of doxorubicin against mda-mb 231 breast cancer xenografts - Clin Cancer Res 2001 Jul;7(7):2041-9 - "a small amount of FOC increased the effectiveness of DOX but did not increase the toxicity of DOX to the host mouse. These positive results justify clinical testing of FOC in conjunction with cancer chemotherapy"

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