Large-scale Survey of the Impact of Complementary Medicine on Side-effects of Adjuvant Hormone Therapy in Patients with Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The present clinical investigation was performed to confirm the benefit of complementary medicine in patients with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant hormone therapy (HT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The patients (n=1561) were treated according to international guidelines. All patients suffered from arthralgia and mucosal dryness induced by the adjuvant HT. In order to reduce the side-effects, the patients were complementarily treated with a combination of sodium selenite, proteolytic plant enzymes (bromelaine and papain) and Lens culinaris lectin. On case report formulas, self assessment arthralgia and mucosal dryness were documented before and four weeks after complementary treatment. Validation was carried-out by scoring from 1 (no side-effects/optimal tolerability) to 6 (extreme side-effects/extremely poor tolerability). A total of 1,165 patients suffering from severe side-effects (symptom scores >3) were enrolled in this investigation. RESULTS: Overall, 62.6% of patients (729 out of 1,165) suffering from severe arthralgia and 71.7% of patients (520 out of 725) with severe mucosal dryness significantly benefited from complementary medicine. Mean scores of symptoms declined from 4.83 before treatment to 3.23 after four weeks of treatment for arthralgia and from 4.72 before treatment to 2.99 after four weeks of treatment for mucosal dryness, the primary aims of the present investigation. The reduction of side-effects of HT was statistically significant (p<0.001) after four weeks. CONCLUSION: This investigation confirms studies suggesting a benefit of complementary treatment with the combination of sodium selenite, proteolytic enzymes and L. culinaris lectin in patients with breast cancer.

Complementary medicine down-regulates side-effects of hormone therapy in prostate cancer patients.

AIM: The present clinical investigation was performed to evaluate the benefits of complementary medicine in prostate cancer patients undergoing hormone therapy (HT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients (N=93) were treated according to international guidelines. All patients suffered from side-effects induced by the HT. To reduce the side-effects, the patients were complementarily treated with a combination of sodium selenite, proteolytic plant enzymes and Lens culinaris (Lc) lectin. On case report formulas (CRFs), self assessment of defined side-effects of HT (arthralgia, mucosal dryness, bone pain and hot flushes) were documented before (T-0) and on days 25 (T-1) and 50 (T-2) after complementary treatment. Validation was carried-out by scoring from 1 (no side-effects/optimal tolerability) to 6 (extreme side-effects/extremely bad tolerability), however, only patients suffering from severe side-effects (symptom scores >3) were enrolled in this investigation. RESULTS: The severity of side-effects of HT was reduced by complementary treatment with sodium selenite, proteolytic plant enzymes and Lc-lectin. The mean scores of side-effects declined for arthralgia from 4.72 (T-0) to 3.66 (T-1) to 2.76 (T-2), for mucosal dryness from 4.45 (T-0) to 3.65 (T-1) to 2.90 (T-2), for bone pain from 4.74 (T-0) to 3.44 (T-1) to 2.82 (T-2), for hot flushes from 4.97 (T-0) to 3.70 (T-1) to 3.15 (T-2). The reduced severity of the side-effects was statistically significant (p<0.001) for T-1 and T-2, compared to T-0. CONCLUSION: This investigation demonstrates benefits of indication-based complementary treatment with the combination of sodium selenite, proteolytic plant enzymes and Lc-lectin in prostate cancer patients, e.g. reduction of side-effects of HT.

Complementary medicine on side-effects of adjuvant hormone therapy in patients with breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: This clinical investigation was performed in order to evaluate the benefit of complementary medicine in patients with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant hormone therapy (HT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The patients (n=680) were treated according to international guidelines. All patients suffered from arthralgia and mucosal dryness induced by the adjuvant HT. In order to reduce side-effects, the patients were complementarily treated with a combination of sodium selenite, proteolytic plant enzymes (bromelaine and papain) and Lens culinaris lectin. On case report formulas, self assessment of defined side-effects of HT (namely arthralgia and mucosal dryness) were documented before and four weeks after complementary treatment. Validation was carried out by scoring from 1 (no side-effects/optimal tolerability) to 6 (extreme side-effects/extremely poor tolerability), however, only patients suffering from severe side-effects (symptom scores >3) were enrolled in this investigation. RESULTS: A total of 64% (316 out of 494) of patients suffering from severe arthralgia and 62% of patients (194 out of 310) with severe mucosal dryness significantly benefited from complementary medicine. The severity of side-effects of HT was reduced by complementary treatment. Mean scores of symptoms declined from 4.92 before treatment to 3.16 after four weeks of treatment for arthralgia and from 4.83 before treatment to 3.21 after four weeks of treatment for mucosal dryness, and these were the primary aims of this investigation. The reduction of side-effects of HT was statistically significant (p<0.001) after four weeks. CONCLUSION: This investigation further demonstrates benefits of indication-based complementary treatment with the combination of sodium selenite, proteolytic enzymes and L. culinaris lectin in patients with breast cancer.