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Consuming chocolate with higher cocoa content can improve the nutritional status and functionality of older cancer patients in palliative care.
2022 BMC Palliative Care Effect of chocolate on older patients with cancer in palliative care: a randomised controlled study Vettori JC, da-Silva LG, Pfrimer K, Jordão AA, Louzada-Junior P, Moriguti JC, et al.
Clinical Study Cancer Chocolate Palliative Care
In the conducted study, 46 older cancer patients under palliative care were divided into three groups. The control group did not have a change in their diet (CG, 15 patients). The other two groups were given intervention foods—55% cocoa chocolate (IG1, 16 patients) and white chocolate (IG2, 15 patients)—for a duration of four weeks. The primary outcome was assessed based on changes in the patients' nutritional status, as measured by the Mini Nutritional Assessment tool. Other factors examined included food consumption, body measurements, body composition, laboratory parameters, and quality of life, using the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer instrument.
Discussion of the results revealed that the group consuming 55% cocoa chocolate showed an improvement in nutritional scores and functionality, as evidenced by the Mini Nutritional Assessment and the quality of life scores respectively. On the other hand, the group consuming white chocolate displayed decreased oxidative stress levels. However, body composition and anthropometric measurements remained largely unchanged across all three groups.
ST36 acupoint injections with dexamethasone outperforms conventional western medicine in treating chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression, significantly improving clinical efficacy and recovery.
2021 Frontiers in Oncology Zusanli (ST36) Acupoint Injection With Dexamethasone for Chemotherapy-Induced Myelosuppression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Chen J, Lin Z, Ding J
Systematic Review Dexamethasone Myelosuppression ST36
The study executed a systematic evaluation of the efficacy of ST36 acupoint injection with dexamethasone in treating chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression. A total of 17 randomized controlled trials from eight different databases were extracted for this meta-analysis. A detailed examination and analysis of various data gathered were performed using the Cochrane Collaboration tool for bias, Excel 2010 for creating an information extraction database, and RevMan 5.3.0 software for analyzing test data. The quality of evidence was graded using GRADE profiler 3.6 software.
The results indicated that compared to conventional western medicine, ST36 acupoint injection with dexamethasone vastly improved the clinical aggregate effective rate. Notably, it increased the white blood cell count and hemoglobin levels in patients, further enhancing their Karnofsky performance status. The treatment also shortened the recovery time of myelosuppression. However, there were no significant differences observed in platelet elevation between the ST36 acupoint injection with dexamethasone and conventional western medicine.
Traditional Chinese Medicine when combined with Western methods, could improve survival rates in patients with colorectal cancer.
2020 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Integrated Chinese Herbal Medicine and Western Medicine on the Survival in Patients with Colorectal Cancer: A Retrospective Study of Medical Records Yeh MH, Chiu HP, Wu MC, Koo M, Lin NW, Liao KK, et al.
Cohort Study Colorectal Cancer
The study undertook a retrospective analysis of patients, newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer during 2004-2014, who were treated at Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital. With the help of the hospital's cancer registry database and medical records, patients were categorized into two groups: those who used Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) and those who did not. Survival rates between these groups were investigated with Kaplan-Meier analyses and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses.
The research findings indicated a noticeable difference between the survival rates of the CHM users and the non-users. Furthermore, four specific CHM formulae - Jia Wei Xiao Yao San, Zhi Bah Di Huang Wan, Ping Wei San and Qui Pi Tang - were noted as significantly associated with enhanced survival. Therefore, it seems that integrating Chinese Herbal Medicine with Western treatment protocols could enhance survival in patients afflicted with colorectal cancer.
Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan can potentially alleviate symptoms of cancer-related insomnia similarly to cognitive-behavioral therapy.
2020 Integrative Cancer Therapies Comparative Effectiveness of Cheonwangbosimdan (Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan) Versus Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Cancer Patients: A Randomized, Controlled, Open-Label, Parallel-Group, Pilot Trial Moon SY, Jerng UM, Kwon OJ, Jung SY, Lee JY, Yoon SW, et al.
Clinical Study Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan
In this study, 22 participants were divided equally between a group given Cheonwangbosimdan and a control group who received cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia. Participants in the Cheonwangbosimdan group were required to consume the herbal liquid daily and participate in weekly visits for a period of four weeks. Conversely, the control group underwent behavioral therapy sessions 4 times over the same four-week period.
The outcomes from these interventions were evaluated using key indices that measured participants' insomnia severity, sleep quality, fatigue, anxiety, and overall performance status. With the focus being on changes observed from the inception of the trial to the end, these measurements were taken at the conclusion of the fifth week. While no significant difference was found between the two study groups, both displayed a positive trend towards alleviating the symptoms of cancer-related insomnia, with anxiety levels markedly lower in the treatment group.
Acupuncture treatment significantly improves neuropathic symptoms in women suffering from chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy after breast cancer therapy.
2019 The Oncologist Acupuncture for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial Lu W, Giobbie-Hurder A, Freedman RA, Shin IH, Lin NU, Partridge AH, et al.
Randomised Controlled Trial Chemotherapy Peripheral Neuropathy
In this randomized pilot trial, women with stage I-III breast cancer with grade 1 or higher chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy post adjuvant chemotherapy were tested. Patients were split evenly into two groups: an immediate acupuncture group and a control group. Those in the immediate acupuncture arm underwent 18 acupuncture sessions over 8 weeks before the treatment was halted. Conversely, the control group received the usual care over eight weeks before beginning nine acupuncture sessions across the same time span. Different parameters such as sensory scores, neurotoxicity, and pain severity were evaluated at the start, then at 4, 8, and 16 weeks post enrollment.
The results, which excluded any statistical references, showed a notable improvement in the immediate acupuncture group in terms of neuropathic symptoms, including sensory scores, neurotoxicity summary score, and pain severity score when observed at the end of eight weeks. No negative side effects were observed during the entire period. This indicates acupuncture as a potential therapeutic option for breast cancer patients suffering from chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.
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—Ve-Vinn L 24 Sep 2021