Multivitamins do not improve radiation therapy-related fatigue: results of a double-blind randomized crossover trial

The Effect of a Chickpea-Based Persian Diet on Cancer-Related Fatigue in Breast Cancer Patients: A Semi-Experimental Study

BACKGROUND

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is one of the most common symptoms associated with cancer or its treatment.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of chickpea-based diet (Nokhodāb) on CRF in female breast cancer patients undertaking routine treatment.

METHOD

Forty female patients with diagnosis of breast cancer were enrolled. The patients were asked to use a chickpea-based Persian diet daily for the period of 3 weeks. Symptom assessment was made for all women by the Cancer Fatigue Scale (CFS) and the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) questionnaires and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).

RESULTS

CRF decreased significantly at the end of the study, compared to the beginning (p < 0.05). Mean of CFS was 40.72 before the intervention, while showing a significant decrease to 33.38 at the end of our study (p = 0.001). A comparison of FSS and VAS before and after intervention shows that FSS and fatigue VAS mean scores have a significant decline at the end (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Nokhodāb, as an available diet, could be a good choice for relieving CRF in breast cancer women. Traditional/complementary medicine may present some effective therapeutic suggestions for cancer complications.

Clinical practice guidelines on the evidence-based use of integrative therapies during and after breast cancer treatment

Answer questions and earn CME/CNE Patients with breast cancer commonly use complementary and integrative therapies as supportive care during cancer treatment and to manage treatment-related side effects. However, evidence supporting the use of such therapies in the oncology setting is limited. This report provides updated clinical practice guidelines from the Society for Integrative Oncology on the use of integrative therapies for specific clinical indications during and after breast cancer treatment, including anxiety/stress, depression/mood disorders, fatigue, quality of life/physical functioning, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, lymphedema, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, pain, and sleep disturbance. Clinical practice guidelines are based on a systematic literature review from 1990 through 2015. Music therapy, meditation, stress management, and yoga are recommended for anxiety/stress reduction. Meditation, relaxation, yoga, massage, and music therapy are recommended for depression/mood disorders. Meditation and yoga are recommended to improve quality of life. Acupressure and acupuncture are recommended for reducing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Acetyl-L-carnitine is not recommended to prevent chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy due to a possibility of harm. No strong evidence supports the use of ingested dietary supplements to manage breast cancer treatment-related side effects. In summary, there is a growing body of evidence supporting the use of integrative therapies, especially mind-body therapies, as effective supportive care strategies during breast cancer treatment. Many integrative practices, however, remain understudied, with insufficient evidence to be definitively recommended or avoided. CA Cancer J Clin 2017;67:194-232. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

Putting evidence into practice: an update of evidence-based interventions for cancer-related fatigue during and following treatment

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) has deleterious effects on physical, social, cognitive, and vocational functioning, and causes emotional and spiritual distress for patients and their families; however, it remains under-recognized and undertreated. This article critically reviews and integrates the available empirical evidence supporting the efficacy of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatment approaches to CRF, highlighting new evidence since 2007 and 2009 Putting Evidence Into Practice publications. Interventions that are recommended for practice or likely to be effective in improving fatigue outcomes include exercise; screening for treatable risk factors; management of concurrent symptoms; yoga; structured rehabilitation; Wisconsin ginseng; cognitive-behavioral therapies for insomnia, pain, and depression; mindfulness-based stress reduction; and psychoeducational interventions such as anticipatory guidance, psychosocial support, and energy conservation and activity management. This information can be applied to improve the management of CRF, inform health policy and program development, shape the design of clinical trials of new therapies for CRF, and drive basic and translational research.

Screening, evaluation, and management of cancer-related fatigue: Ready for implementation to practice?

Answer questions and earn CME/CNE Evidence regarding cancer-related fatigue (fatigue) has accumulated sufficiently such that recommendations for screening, evaluation, and/or management have been released recently by 4 leading cancer organizations. These evidence-based fatigue recommendations are available for clinicians, and some have patient versions; but barriers at the patient, clinician, and system levels hinder dissemination and implementation into practice. The underlying biologic mechanisms for this debilitating symptom have not been elucidated completely, hindering the development of mechanistically driven interventions. However, significant progress has been made toward methods for screening and comprehensively evaluating fatigue and other common symptoms using reliable and valid self-report measures. Limited data exist to support the use of any pharmacologic agent; however, several nonpharmacologic interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing fatigue in adults. Never before have evidence-based recommendations for fatigue management been disseminated by 4 premier cancer organizations (the National Comprehensive Cancer, the Oncology Nursing Society, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer/Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology). Clinicians may ask: Are we ready for implementation into practice? The reply: A variety of approaches to screening, evaluation, and management are ready for implementation. To reduce fatigue severity and distress and its impact on functioning, intensified collaborations and close partnerships between clinicians and researchers are needed, with an emphasis on system-wide efforts to disseminate and implement these evidence-based recommendations.

A systematic review of complementary and alternative medicine interventions for the management of cancer-related fatigue

Fatigue, experienced by patients during and following cancer treatment, is a significant clinical problem. It is a prevalent and distressing symptom yet pharmacological interventions are used little and confer limited benefit for patients. However, many cancer patients use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and some evidence suggests it may relieve fatigue. A systematic review was conducted to appraise the effectiveness of CAM interventions in ameliorating cancer-related fatigue. Systematic searches of biomedical, nursing, and specialist CAM databases were conducted, including Medline, Embase, and AMED. Included papers described interventions classified as CAM by the National Centre of Complementary and Alternative Medicine and evaluated through randomized controlled trial (RCT) or quasi-experimental design. Twenty studies were eligible for the review, of which 15 were RCTs. Forms of CAM interventions examined included acupuncture, massage, yoga, and relaxation training. The review identified some limited evidence suggesting hypnosis and ginseng may prevent rises in cancer-related fatigue in people undergoing treatment for cancer and acupuncture and that biofield healing may reduce cancer-related fatigue following cancer treatments. Evidence to date suggests that multivitamins are ineffective at reducing cancer-related fatigue. However, trials incorporated within the review varied greatly in quality; most were methodologically weak and at high risk of bias. Consequently, there is currently insufficient evidence to conclude with certainty the effectiveness or otherwise of CAM in reducing cancer-related fatigue. The design and methods employed in future trials of CAM should be more rigorous; increasing the strength of evidence should be a priority.

Cancer-related fatigue: a review

Cancer-related fatigue is the most prevalent cancer symptom, reported in 50%-90% of patients and severely impacts quality of life and functional capacity. The condition remains underreported and often goes untreated. Guidelines suggest screening for fatigue at the initial visit, when the diagnosis of advanced disease is made, and at each chemotherapy session, as well as the identification of treatable contributing factors such as anemia, hypothyroidism, depression and sleep disorders. Brief assessment tools such as the Brief Fatigue Inventory or the Visual Analog Scale may be appropriate in the initial scoring of fatigue severity, but the initial approach to treatment usually requires a more comprehensive assessment, education, and the determination of an individualized treatment plan. Patients with moderate or severe fatigue may benefit from both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions, whereas mild fatigue that does not interfere with quality of life can be treated with non-pharmacological measures alone. Non-pharmacological measures that have shown to be promising include cognitive-behavioral interventions such as energy conservation and activity management (ECAM), exercise and perhaps sleep therapy. Many other modalities may be beneficial and can be used on an individual basis, but there is insufficient evidence to promote any single treatment. Pharmacological therapies that have shown to be promising include the psycho-stimulants methylphenidate and dexmethylphenidate, modafinil (in severely fatigued patients only), and erythropoietin-stimulating agents in patients with chemotherapy-associated anemia and hemoglobin levels < 10 g/dL. Recently, our group reported impressive results with the use of the dry extract of Guarana (Paullinia cupana), with no significant side effects and at low cost, for the treatment of physical and mental cancer-related fatigue.

Fatigue after treatment in breast cancer survivors: prevalence, determinants and impact on health-related quality of life

PURPOSE

Fatigue is a phenomenon that may persist for years after completion of adjuvant therapy, and is one of the most frequent symptoms associated with breast cancer survivors. The purposes of this study were to investigate the occurrence of fatigue in disease-free breast cancer survivors after treatment, to identify variables associated with fatigue, and to evaluate the impact of fatigue on health-related quality of life.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 202 consecutive women diagnosed with in-situ to Stage III breast cancer attending in outpatient facilities of two large hospitals, one year or more after diagnosis. They completed the Piper Fatigue Scale-Revised and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30. Multiple logistic regression models were used to identify predictive factors associated with fatigue. EORTC QLQC-30 scores for fatigued survivors were compared to non-fatigued survivors.

RESULTS

The prevalence of fatigue reported by the breast cancer survivors was 37.6%. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that predictive factors for fatigue included younger age (odds ratio [OR]=2.23, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.11-4.45, p = 0.024); presence of pain (OR = 3.87, 95% CI = 1.88-7.98, p = 0.000); dyspnea (OR = 3.72, 95% CI = 1.46-9.50, p = 0.006); insomnia (OR = 2.40, 95% CI = 1.19-4.86, p = 0.015); and nausea and vomiting (OR = 12.25, 95% CI = 1.18-126.75, p = 0.036). Fatigued women had poorer health-related quality of life than non-fatigued women in all domains.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that many disease-free breast cancer survivors after treatment experienced fatigue that compromises their health-related quality of life.

Evaluation and management of fatigue in oncology: a multidimensional approach

Fatigue, one of the most common symptoms experienced by cancer patients, is multidimensional and is associated with significant impairment in functioning and overall quality of life. Although the precise pathophysiology of cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is not well understood, a number of metabolic, cytokine, neurophysiologic, and endocrine changes have been described in these patients. A better understanding of these abnormalities is likely to lead to novel therapeutic interventions. Clinically, all patients presenting with significant fatigue should be evaluated for treatable conditions that might contribute to this symptom. Exercise and treatment of anemia are the two most established interventions for CRF. Psychostimulants seem promising based on early studies. Several complementary medicine treatments that showed efficacy in preliminary studies merit further testing.

Health-related quality of life and cancer clinical trials

The measurement of patient-reported outcomes, including health-related quality of life, is a new initiative which has emerged and grown over the past four decades. Following the development of reliable and valid self-report questionnaires, health-related quality of life has been assessed in tens of thousands of patients and a wide variety of cancers. This review is based on a selection of data published in the last decade and is intended primarily for healthcare professionals. The assessments in clinical trials have been particularly useful for elucidating the effects of various cancers and their treatments on patients' lives and have provided additional information that enhances the usual clinical endpoints used for determining the benefits and toxicity of treatment. With growing experience the quality of the health-related quality of studies has improved and, in general, recent studies are more likely to be methodologically robust than those that were performed in earlier decades. Health-related quality of life has become a more accurate predictor of survival than some other clinical parameters, such as performance status. The overall outlook for the routine assessment of patient-reported outcomes in clinical trials is assured and, eventually, it is likely to become a standard part of clinical practice. However, there is still a need for a clear method for determining the clinical meaningfulness of changes in scores. The answer will probably come from the greater use of patient-reported outcomes and the consequent growth of experience that is necessary to make such judgements.

Cancer-related fatigue: a practical review

Fatigue is an exceedingly common often treatable problem in cancer patients that profoundly affects all aspects of quality of life. Prevalence estimates have ranged from 50% to 90% of cancer patients overall. After addressing reversible or treatable contributing factors, such as hypothyroidism, anemia, sleep disturbance, pain, emotional distress, climacterium, medication adverse events, metabolic disturbances, or organ dysfunction such as heart failure, myopathy, and pulmonary fibrosis, patients may be screened with a brief fatigue self-assessment tool. All cancer patients should be screened regularly for fatigue. Those with moderate or severe fatigue may benefit from both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions, while mild fatigue that does not interfere with quality of life can be treated with nonpharmacologic measures alone. Physicians often have insufficient knowledge about fatigue and its treatments or underestimate the impact of fatigue on quality of life, while patients may consider it an unavoidable and untreatable side-effect and fear that reporting it may incite a change toward less aggressive cancer treatment. A practical review may therefore be useful to health care professionals in order to avoid the common barriers to its treatment that exist on the sides of both physicians and patients.

Quality-of-life measurement in randomized clinical trials in breast cancer: an updated systematic review (2001-2009)

BACKGROUND

Quality-of-life (QOL) measurement is often incorporated into randomized clinical trials in breast cancer. The objectives of this systematic review were to assess the incremental effect of QOL measurement in addition to traditional endpoints (such as disease-free survival or toxic effects) on clinical decision making and to describe the extent of QOL reporting in randomized clinical trials of breast cancer.

METHODS

We conducted a search of MEDLINE for English-language articles published between May-June 2001 and October 2009 that reported: 1) a randomized clinical trial of breast cancer treatment (excluding prevention trials), including surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, symptom control, follow-up, and psychosocial intervention; 2) the use of a patient self-report measure that examined general QOL, cancer-specific or breast cancer-specific QOL or psychosocial variables; and 3) documentation of QOL outcomes. All selected trials were evaluated by two reviewers, and data were extracted using a standardized form for each variable. Data are presented in descriptive table formats.

RESULTS

A total of 190 randomized clinical trials were included in this review. The two most commonly used questionnaires were the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QOL Questionnaire and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy/Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy. More than 80% of the included trials reported the name(s) of the instrument(s), trial and QOL sample sizes, the timing of QOL assessment, and the statistical method. Statistical power for QOL was reported in 19.4% of the biomedical intervention trials and in 29.9% of the nonbiomedical intervention trials. The percentage of trials in which QOL findings influenced clinical decision making increased from 15.2% in the previous review to 30.1% in this updated review for trials of biomedical interventions but decreased from 95.0% to 63.2% for trials of nonbiomedical interventions. Discordance between reviewers ranged from 1.1% for description of the statistical method (yes vs no) to 19.9% for the sample size for QOL.

CONCLUSION

Reporting of QOL methodology could be improved.

Interventions to Alleviate Symptoms Related to Breast Cancer Treatments and Areas of Needed Research

Treatments for breast cancer produce a host of side effects, which can become debilitating. Some cancer treatment-related side effects occur in up to 90% of patients during treatment and can persist for months or years after treatment has ended. As the number of breast cancer survivors steadily increases, the need for cancer control intervention research to alleviate side effects also grows. This review provides a general overview of recent clinical research studies of selected topics in the areas of symptom management for breast cancer with a focus on cognitive difficulties, fatigue, cardiotoxicity, bone loss, insomnia, and cancer pain. We review both pharmacological and behavioral intervention clinical research studies, conducted with breast cancer patients and survivors. Additionally, clinical perspectives on symptom management and recommendations for areas of needed research are provided.

Cancer-related fatigue

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is the most commonly reported symptom in patients with cancer with a prevalence up to 100%. It has a significant negative impact on quality of life. An effective management of CRF could significantly reduce the disease burden associated with cancer and its treatment. Unfortunately, the underlying pathophysiology is very complex and not uniform. This article reviews the possible therapy of contributing factors, nonpharmacological treatment, such as exercise and psychosocial interventions, and pharmacologic approaches in managing CRF. Numerous drugs, such as psychostimulants (methylphenidate, dexamphetamines, modafinil and pemoline), antidepressants, corticosteroids, L-carnitine, donepezil and guarana have been studied. Methylphenidate, modafinil and guarana show the most promising results so far. However, additional randomized, placebo-controlled trials are needed to determine the benefit of these and other drugs in the treatment of CRF.

Altered amino acid homeostasis and the development of fatigue by breast cancer radiotherapy patients: A pilot study

OBJECTIVES

To examine altered amino acid homeostasis as a predisposing factor of fatigue in female radiotherapy breast cancer patients.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Participants underwent breast-conserving surgery and adjuvant breast irradiation and were free from significant fatigue pre-radiotherapy. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy fatigue subscale was used to assess fatigue pre- and post-radiotherapy. Blood biochemistry factors and urinary and plasma amino acid levels were measured.

RESULTS

One third of 27 patients developed fatigue and were designated as the fatigued cohort. It was possible to differentiate between fatigued subjects pre- and post-radiotherapy based upon their urinary amino acid profiles. Univariate analysis supported altered amino acid homeostasis within the fatigued cohort. Urinary levels of histidine and alanine were increased pre-radiotherapy whilst threonine, methionine, alanine, serine, asparagine and glutamine levels were higher after 5weeks of radiotherapy for the fatigued cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

Fatigue was accompanied by altered amino acid homeostasis with increased amino acid excretion suggestive of a catabolic response.

Drug therapy for the management of cancer-related fatigue

BACKGROUND

This is an updated version of the original Cochrane review published in issue 1 2008 (Minton 2008). Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is common, under-recognised and difficult to treat. There have been studies looking at drug interventions to improve CRF but results have been conflicting depending on the population studied and outcome measures used. No previous reviews of this topic have been exhaustive or have synthesised all available data.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the efficacy of drugs for the management of CRF.

SEARCH STRATEGY

We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (from Issue 2 2007) MEDLINE and EMBASE from January 2007 to October 2009 and a selection of cancer journals. We searched references of identified articles and contacted authors to obtain unreported data.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Studies were included in the review if they 1) assessed drug therapy for the management of CRF compared to placebo, usual care or a non-pharmacological intervention in 2) randomised controlled trials (RCT) of 3) adult patients with a clinical diagnosis of cancer.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. Meta-analyses were performed on different drug classes using continuous variable data.

MAIN RESULTS

Fifty studies met the inclusion criteria. Six additional studies were identified since the original review. Only 31 of these studies involving 7104 participants were judged to have used a sufficiently robust measure of fatigue and thus were deemed suitable for detailed analysis. The drugs were still analysed by class (psychostimulants; haemopoietic growth factors; antidepressants and progestational steroids). Methylphenidate showed a small but significant improvement in fatigue over placebo (Z = 2.83; P = 0.005). Since the publication of the original review increased safety concerns have been raised regarding erythropoietin and this cannot now be recommended in practice.There was a very high degree of statistical and clinical heterogeneity in the trials and the reasons for this are discussed.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

There is increasing evidence that psychostimulant trials provide evidence for improvement in CRF at a clinically meaningful level. There is still a requirement for a large scale RCT of methylphenidate to confirm the preliminary results from this review. There is new safety data which indicates that the haemopoietic growth factors are associated with increased adverse outcomes. These drugs can no longer be recommended in the treatment of CRF. Readers of the first review should re-read the document in full.

Nutritive Supplements - Help or Harm for Breast Cancer Patients?

SUMMARY: Considerable numbers of patients and physicians believe that micronutrients may be useful with respect to prevention and treatment of breast cancer. However, the analysis of the literature shows that basic information on nutritional demands in cancer patients is lacking. It is unknown whether there is an increased demand of micro-nutrients in cancer patients in general and if there is an even more increased demand during the various types of treatment. As a result, there are only limited positive findings. Higher calcium intake in premenopausal women and higher intake of vitamin D seem to be able to lower breast cancer incidence. Vitamin E (800 IU per day) was found to have a modest effect on hot flashes during tamoxifen treatment. However, there are potential side effects especially when micronutrients are administered in high or very high doses. There is increasing evidence that dose-effect relationships are not linear but U-shaped. It seems that two thresholds exist for adverse effect, one at low doses for undersupply, and another at high doses for toxicity. Thus, arbitrary high-dose administration of micronutrients should be avoided. Supplementation of normal doses seems to be safe and acceptable from the medical point of view.

Effectiveness of guaraná (Paullinia cupana) for postradiation fatigue and depression: results of a pilot double-blind randomized study

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE

Guaraná (Paullinia cupana) has been used medicinally for centuries. The aim of this study is evaluate the effectiveness of guaraná in the treatment of postradiation depression and fatigue.

DESIGN AND SETTING

This study had a double-blind randomized design with crossover between experimental arms, at Faculdade de Medicina da Fundação do ABC.

METHODS

We conducted a randomized double-blind crossover trial with 36 patients with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant radiation therapy. We randomized patients to either guaraná 75 mg daily p.o. or to placebo. Patients were switched to the other experimental arm at the middle of the radiation treatment, which consisted of 28 daily fractions of 180 cGy. Evaluations were conducted at the beginning, at the middle, and at the end of radiation therapy.

RESULTS

We were unable to show any statistically significant differences between the guaraná and the placebo-treated group with any of the measured scores. Also, within the same group, we did not see any statistically significant associations during either the guaraná- or placebo-treated periods with any of the aforementioned measures.

CONCLUSIONS

We were unable to show that patients with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy derive any advantage with guaraná over placebo for both fatigue and depressive symptoms.

Dietary supplement use in cancer care: help or harm

Conventional wisdom generally recommends complete avoidance of all dietary supplements, especially during chemotherapy and radiation. This interdiction persists, in spite of high rates of dietary supplement use by patients throughout all phases of cancer care, and can result in patients' perceptions of physicians as negative, thus leading to widespread nondisclosure of use. A review of the clinical literature shows that some evidence for harm does exist; however, data also exist that show benefit from using certain well-qualified supplements. Physicians should increase their knowledge base about dietary supplement use in cancer and consider all of the data when advising patients. Strategies that are patient-centered and reflect the complete array of available evidence lead to more nuanced messages about dietary supplement use in cancer. This should encourage greater disclosure of use by patients and ultimately increase safety and efficacy for patients choosing to use dietary supplements during cancer care.

Use of antioxidant supplements during breast cancer treatment: a comprehensive review

PURPOSE

An estimated 45-80% of breast cancer patients use antioxidant supplements after diagnosis, and use of antioxidant supplements during breast cancer treatment is common. Dietary supplements with antioxidant effects include vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and other natural products. We conducted a comprehensive review of literature on the associations between antioxidant supplement use during breast cancer treatment and patient outcomes.

METHODS

Inclusion criteria were: two or more subjects; clinical trial or observational study design; use of antioxidant supplements (vitamin C, vitamin E, antioxidant combinations, multivitamins, glutamine, glutathione, melatonin, or soy isoflavones) during chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and/or hormonal therapy for breast cancer as exposures; treatment toxicities, tumor response, recurrence, or survival as outcomes.

RESULTS

We identified 22 articles that met those criteria. Their findings did not support any conclusions regarding the effects of individual antioxidant supplements during conventional breast cancer treatment on toxicities, tumor response, recurrence, or survival. A few studies suggested that antioxidant supplements might decrease side effects associated with treatment, including vitamin E for hot flashes due to hormonal therapy and glutamine for oral mucositis during chemotherapy. Underpowered trials suggest that melatonin may enhance tumor response during treatment.

CONCLUSION

The evidence is currently insufficient to inform clinician and patient guidelines on the use of antioxidant supplements during breast cancer treatment. Thus, well designed clinical trials and observational studies are needed to determine the short- and long-term effects of such agents.