Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology
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In Europe, patients with colorectal carcinoma (CRC) frequently receive mistletoe extracts to improve quality of life and survival. This study was designed to evaluate supportive treatment with mistletoe extract Iscador (ISC) in nonmetastatic CRC patients under routine clinical conditions and to create well-founded hypotheses for future prospective clinical studies. The design of a multicenter, controlled, retrospective, observational cohort study with parallel groups met the Good Epidemiological Practice rules. ⋯ The DFS hazard ratio of 0.60 (p = .013) suggests a survival benefit in ISC patients versus controls. ISC was well tolerated without life-threatening ADRs, drug interactions, or tumor enhancement. These results suggest a beneficial effect of supportive care ISC therapy within AT protocols and long-term ISC treatment in stage I-III CRC patients, particularly improvement in AT-ADRs and symptoms and possible extension of DFS.
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Bark extracts from the Amazonian rain forest tree Geissospermum vellosii (pao pereira), enriched in alpha-carboline alkaloids have significant anticancer activities in certain preclinical models. Because of the predominance of prostate cancer as a cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality for men of Western countries, we preclinically tested the in vitro and in vivo effects of a pao pereira extract against a prototypical human prostate cancer cell line, LNCaP. When added to cultured LNCaP cells, pao pereira extract significantly suppressed cell growth in a dose-dependent fashion and induced apoptosis. ⋯ Tumor growth was suppressed by up to 80% in some groups compared with tumors in vehicle-treated mice. However, we observed a striking U-shaped dose-response curve in which the highest dose tested (50 mg/kg/d) was much less effective in inducing tumor cell apoptosis and in reducing tumor cell proliferation and xenograft growth compared with lower doses (10 or 20 mg/kg/d). Although this study supports the idea that a pao pereira bark extract has activity against human prostate cancer, our in vivo results suggest that its potential effectiveness in prostate cancer treatment may be limited to a narrow dose range.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Acupressure for chemotherapy-associated nausea and vomiting in children.
The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of acupressure therapy in preventing chemotherapy-associated nausea in children. A prospective, randomized, crossover trial was conducted among pediatric oncology patients at Brenner Children's Hospital (Winston-Salem, NC). Patients were randomized to one of two treatment sequences involving acupressure wrist bands and placebo bands, separated by a standard care treatment with no bands. ⋯ There was no significant difference in nausea or vomiting between the three groups; there were no significant side effects from acupressure or placebo bands. Pediatric oncology patients have moderate expectations about the effectiveness of acupressure in preventing nausea and vomiting. Acupressure is feasible and well tolerated but was not more effective than placebo in this sample of patients who were also treated with standard antiemetic therapies.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Impact of massage therapy on anxiety levels in patients undergoing radiation therapy: randomized controlled trial.
Anxiety is a major issue in the cancer patient population. This randomized phase III trial evaluated the effects of massage therapy on anxiety levels in patients undergoing radiation therapy. Patients undergoing radiation therapy were randomly assigned to either 10 massage sessions or control sessions. ⋯ Furthermore, no difference was observed between the groups' respective state-anxiety scores after the 10 sessions. Massage therapy is associated with a significant, immediate decrease in anxiety scores. However, massage therapy appears to have no major impact on intermediate-term anxiety in patients undergoing radiation therapy.
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The review of literature provides an overview of both qualitative and quantitative research studies in the area of pediatric oncology music therapy. A total of 12 studies were reviewed. ⋯ All articles were published in peer-reviewed journals. This review summarizes the use of music therapy in treating the physical, emotional , social, and developmental needs of children undergoing curative and palliative treatment for cancer.