Abstract
A proprietary lecithin delivery system of curcumin (Meriva) was evaluated in a controlled study to assess its efficacy in alleviating the side effects of cancer chemo- and radiotherapy in 160 patients undergoing these treatments. In both cases, a semi-quantitative evaluation of the side effects was carried out using a visual analogue scale, assessing also the plasma free radical status in all patients. Results showed that lecithinized curcumin might alleviate the burden of side effects associated to chemo- and radiotherapy, suggesting that the anecdotal use of various preparations of curcumin as a supportive agent for cancer treatment is well worth a systematic investigation in larger scale clinical trials. The capacity of curcumin to upregulate anti-oxidative responses and downregulate inflammatory pathways could explain its beneficial effect in tempering the prolonged and systemic oxidative and inflammatory effects of cancer treatment, and the beneficial effects observed in the plasma oxidative status in all patients of the treatment group support this view.
Highlights
Despite the development of new therapies, cancer remains the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease in Western countries, accounting for nearly one in every four deaths, with 569,490 Americans being estimated to die of cancer in 2010 (American Cancer Society 2010)
Several attempts have tried to control oxidative stress in cancer patients, owing to its potential to improve the tolerability of chemo- and radiotherapy, but the issue of the potential complication with the management of the disease remains largely unsettled (D’Incalci et al, 2007)
Curcumin is probably the most popular herbal product within the cancer patients community, and the web is rife with ingenious recipes to formulate megadoses (>3 g) of this dye with fatty foods like olive oil or chocolate to overcome the issue of the low availability of the natural product
Summary
Despite the development of new therapies, cancer remains the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease in Western countries, accounting for nearly one in every four deaths, with 569,490 Americans being estimated to die of cancer in 2010 (American Cancer Society 2010). Since medical innovation does not follow Moore’s law, the cost of cancer treatment is skyrocketing (Sullivan et al, 2011). In industrial countries, this is expected to exacerbate the gap between the increasing therapeutic needs of an aging society and the decrease in its health resources imposed by the demographic trend. Chemoprevention, which maintains the status quo of good health, and supportive care, which improves the quality of life of cancer patients, are perceived as less glamorous and challenging Because of these skewed priorities, the vast bulk of cancer research is therapeutically oriented, and chemoprevention and supportive care are still often perceived with skepticism, as if cancer were unavoidable and the quality of life of cancer patients hopelessly poor
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
