A prospective, multicenter study of complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) utilization during definitive radiation for breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Although complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) utilization in breast cancer patients is reported to be high, there are few data on CAM practices in breast patients specifically during radiation. This prospective, multi-institutional study was conducted to define CAM utilization in breast cancer during definitive radiation. MATERIALS/METHODS: A validated CAM instrument with a self-skin assessment was administered to 360 Stage 0-III breast cancer patients from 5 centers during the last week of radiation. All data were analyzed to detect significant differences between users/nonusers. RESULTS: CAM usage was reported in 54% of the study cohort (n=194/360). Of CAM users, 71% reported activity-based CAM (eg, Reiki, meditation), 26% topical CAM, and 45% oral CAM. Only 16% received advice/counseling from naturopathic/homeopathic/medical professionals before initiating CAM. CAM use significantly correlated with higher education level (P<.001), inversely correlated with concomitant hormone/radiation therapy use (P=.010), with a trend toward greater use in younger patients (P=.066). On multivariate analysis, level of education (OR: 6.821, 95% CI: 2.307-20.168, P<.001) and hormones/radiation therapy (OR: 0.573, 95% CI: 0.347-0.949, P=.031) independently predicted for CAM use. Significantly lower skin toxicity scores were reported in CAM users vs nonusers, respectively (mild: 34% vs 25%, severe: 17% vs 29%, P=.017). CONCLUSION: This is the first prospective study to assess CAM practices in breast patients during radiation, with definition of these practices as the first step for future investigation of CAM/radiation interactions. These results should alert radiation oncologists that a large percentage of breast cancer patients use CAM during radiation without disclosure or consideration for potential interactions, and should encourage increased awareness, communication, and documentation of CAM practices in patients undergoing radiation treatment for breast cancer.

Preclinical studies of the Chinese Herbal Medicine formulation PHY906 (KD018) as a potential adjunct to radiation therapy.

OBJECTIVE: Abdominal and pelvic radiotherapy is limited by the radiosensitivity of the small and large intestine. PHY906 (KD018), a state-of-the-art, well defined adaptation of a traditional Chinese medicine, decreased intestinal injury from chemotherapy in preclinical studies and is in clinical trials with chemotherapy. This project assessed whether PHY906 would also reduce intestinal injury from abdominal irradiation in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: BALB/c mice received whole-abdomen irradiation (2 Gy/day) ± PHY906 by oral gavage twice daily for 4 days. Intestinal injury was assayed by physiological observations and histological studies. Effects of PHY906 on EMT6 mouse mammary tumors were assayed in tumor growth studies. RESULTS: PHY906 decreased toxicity from fractionated abdominal irradiation. Radiation alone produced marked blunting and loss of villi, crypt hyperplasia and irregular crypt morphology, which were reduced by PHY906. The radiation-induced reduction in viable crypt numbers was also mitigated by PHY906. PHY906 did not alter radiation-induced weight loss, but resulted in more rapid recovery. PHY906 did not alter tumor growth, local invasion or metastatic spread and did not protect tumors from growth delays produced by single-dose or fractionated irradiation. CONCLUSION: In this mouse model, PHY906 (KD018) decreased the toxicity of abdominal irradiation without protecting tumors and thereby increased the therapeutic ratio.

Alteration of the effects of cancer therapy agents on breast cancer cells by the herbal medicine black cohosh.

Recent studies have revealed that many, perhaps most, patients receiving cancer therapy are simultaneously self-medicating with one or several complementary and alternative medicines, often without discussing the use of these agents with their physicians. The effects of these agents on the efficacy and toxicity of standard anticancer therapy have not been studied. The experiments described in this report used a well characterized mouse breast cancer cell line to ask whether commercially available extracts of black cohosh, an herb widely used by breast cancer patients, altered the response of cancer cells to radiation and to four drugs commonly used in cancer therapy. The black cohosh extracts increased the cytotoxicity of doxorubicin and docetaxel and decreased the cytotoxicity of cisplatin, but did not alter the effects of radiation or 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide (4-HC), an analog of cyclophosphamide which is active in cell culture. These data sound a warning that the herbal medicines being used by patients undergoing cancer therapy can have effects on cancer cells that alter their response to the agents commonly used to treat breast cancer.

Chemoradiation with 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin C in the treatment of vulvar squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the acute and late toxicities associated with the use of chemoradiation therapy (CRT) with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and mitomycin C or mitomycin C alone for primary, adjuvant, and salvage therapy for vulvar cancer. METHODS: Medical charts of 17 patients who received CRT with this regimen were reviewed. Toxicity was scored by 1998 standardized common toxicity criteria, Version 2.0, for acute toxicity and the RTOG/EORT Late Radiation Morbidity Scoring Schema for late toxicity. Median follow-up was 20 months (range: 5-74 months). RESULTS: Six patients had grade 4 neutropenia. In three patients, life-threatening neutropenic sepsis developed after the second cycle of chemotherapy. Severe enterocolitis was a direct cause of death in two patients. In four patients, the second cycle of chemotherapy was cancelled because of severe toxicity associated with the first cycle. One patient had grade 4 skin toxicity in the vulvar-perineal area. Six patients had grade 3 and seven patients had grade 2 acute skin toxicity. Skin toxicity necessitated the interruption of CRT in nine patients at a median dose of 32.4 Gy (range: 16.2-48 Gy). One patient developed bowel perforation and colovaginal fistula 1.5 years after completion of CRT. CONCLUSION: Chemoradiation therapy utilizing 5-FU and mitomycin C or mitomycin C alone in the treatment of vulvar cancer can be associated with a high incidence of morbidity and mortality. Strict attention to indications for treatment interruptions or chemotherapy dose adjustments is obligatory for safe delivery of CRT to these patients.