Integrative Cancer Therapies最新文献

Context: Due to therapeutic side effects and physical weakness, patients are not always able to carry out strenuous and lengthy exercises. Hence, this study investigated the effectiveness and feasibility of a short-term Whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) for oncological patients during and after anticancer treatment. The primary aim was to ensure the feasibility of WB-EMS training. Furthermore, the effects of WB-EMS training were investigated over a period of 2 weeks on parameters such as quality of life, body composition and physical performance.

Method: Thirteen cancer patients with different diagnosis, disease stages and treatment state were included. They participated in supervised WB-EMS sessions 4 times over a 2-week period. Physical functioning, body composition, depression, fatigue, and quality of life were measured before and after the intervention period. Moreover, a pre-post measurement of the patients' perceived body constitution was conducted in every exercise session.

Results: All included patients (n = 13) were able to complete the 4 WB-EMS sessions. At the end of the 2 weeks, a significant increase of the muscle strength could be observed. Additionally, patients improved their cardiovascular fitness. The body composition analyses showed significant reductions in body lean mass and extracellular water. Muscle mass remained unchanged. Furthermore, patients reported an improved perceived body constitution reduced pain and discomfort following all 4 WB-EMS sessions.

Conclusion: This study suggests that WB-EMS is safe and feasible for cancer patients. Furthermore, it showed that even after 2 weeks, improvements concerning the physical performance and patient-reported outcomes can be achieved. This study indicates benefits of WB-EMS as short-term exercise methode in cancer patients, that could be utelised in fields such as cancer prehabilitation.

Trial registration: This trial has been registered with the ISRCTN-Registry (ISRCTN68069634).

Background: Numbness and tingling secondary to chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) are frequent side effects that limit chemotherapy treatment and quality of life. Successful treatments for CIPN are limited. This preliminary report shows the potential long-term effects of ozone treatment in the management of persistent numbness and tingling secondary to CIPN.

Methods: Ozone treatment was administered by rectal insufflation in 15 patients (female/male: 8/7, age: 66 years old) suffering from persistent numbness and tingling secondary to grade-2 or grade-3 CIPN. Planned ozone treatment consisted of 40 sessions over 4 months. The initial concentration of 10 μg/mL was progressively increased to 30 μg/mL. The initial gas volume of 180 mL/session was progressively increased to 300 mL/session if tolerated. Before and after ozone treatment, and at 3- and 6- months after the end of treatment, they were assessed (i) the grade of CIPN-toxicity, and (ii) the self-reported decrease in numbness and tingling.

Results: After ozone treatment, 47% of patients experienced a decrease in the grade of CIPN-toxicity (P = .016), and 67% of patients reported a decrease in numbness and tingling ≥50% (P = .002). These effects were maintained at 3- and 6- months after the end of O₃T.

Conclusions: In this retrospective report, patients with persistent numbness and tingling secondary to CIPN showed clinically relevant and long-term improvements after ozone treatment. The magnitude and duration of the observed effects merit further research and support our ongoing clinical trials.

Introduction: Balance problems arising from cancer and its treatments can significantly impact daily functionality and quality of life. Improving balance as part of a cancer treatment plan could result in better patient outcomes. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine whether an integrative therapeutic yoga intervention can improve balance in a heterogenous population of cancer survivors (CS).

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of data from a 16-week feasibility study where therapeutic yoga was supplemented with psychosocial support to maximize health-related quality of life in adult CS of any stage and site. In this study, we investigated balance, as it has been shown to be an important outcome in CS due to its role in physical function and quality of life. The intervention included therapeutic yoga three times per week for 16 weeks and daily psychosocial support provided via text message. Participants' balance was assessed while standing on a pressure mat with feet together, eyes opened and closed, for 30 seconds in each condition. Data on the "sway path distance" (displacement of the center of gravity) in the two conditions were obtained. Changes in balance after the intervention (from baseline to follow-up) were analyzed using paired-sample t-tests. Changes in balance were also assessed using responder analysis. We described the proportion of participants that improved their balance or not based on 10% difference from baseline scores.

Results: Of the 29 participants included, 22 (76%) completed post-assessments. Changes in both balance assessment conditions were not statistically significant (eyes opened: 80.06 ± 374.99, p = .702; eyes closed: -1.82 ± 24.01, p = .068). Responder analysis showed that 8 participants improved their balance with eyes opened, while 8 worsened, and 6 did not change. Analysis of balance with eyes closed showed that 5 improved, 8 worsened, and 9 did not change.

Conclusion: This secondary analysis of data from a heterogenous cohort of adult CS did not support our hypothesis at the group level. However, at the individual level, responder analysis indicated improved balance in some survivors. Future research is needed to determine factors related to the cancer experience which might mediate balance outcomes to inform better integrative interventions.

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of Dendrobium officinale in the treatment of radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients, and to explore its regulating effect on immune function and oral microbiota by comparing immune-related factors and oral microbiota before and after the intervention.

Methods: We conducted a randomized double-blinded controlled trial in Zhejiang Cancer Hospital. Sixty patients with nasopharyngeal cancer combined with radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis were randomly divided into a study group and control group, with 30 cases in each group The study group used compound vitamin B12 solution and Dendrobium tea drink, and the control group simply used compound vitamin B12 solution rinse. When the patients developed radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis (at the time of 10F radiotherapy), and after 1 month of Dendrobium treatment (at the end of radiotherapy), the salivary flow rate was measured without stimulation to evaluate the degree of oral mucositis and the clinical efficacy. We also detected the content of EGF in saliva and the content of IL-10 and IL-11 in serum, and analyzed the differences in microbial community structure. All patients consented before enrollment.

Results: The salivary flow rate and oral mucosal fraction of the study group after treatment were significantly improved, which was better than that of the control group(P < .05). The content of IL-10 in the study group after treatment increased significantly compared with that before treatment(P < .05). There was a significant difference between the oral flora of the study group before and after treatment (Unique OTU counts: 5390 vs 3906), and there was also a difference between the oral flora of the study group and control group after treatment (Unique OTU counts: 5671 vs 5439). After treatment, Erysipelotrichales (Phylum Firmicutes, LDA score = 2.80, P = .034), Leptotrichiaceae (Fusobacteria,LDA score = 3.38, P = .030) and Campylobacteraceae (Proteobacteria, LDA score = 3.35, P = .026) were significantly enriched in the study group. The use of Dendrobium officinale in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis showed little difference in microbial diversity and abundance, but there were significant differences among oral bacteria genera.

Conclusions: Dendrobium officinale is effective in the treatment of radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis, which may be related to the improvement of salivary gland function and regulation of the oral microenvironment. Dendrobium officinale may reduce the symptoms of radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis by affecting the systemic cellular immune function. It may reduce the secretion of pro-inflammatory factors of the relevant flora by directly changing the oral flora and regulating the oral micro-ecology.

Background: The incidence and mortality of lung cancer is the highest among malignant tumors worldwide, and it seriously threatens human life and health. Surgery is the primary radical treatment for lung cancer. However, patients often experience discomfort, changes in social roles, economic pressures, and other postsurgical challenges. These factors frequently cause various psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression, significantly diminishing the quality of life and elevating the risks of recurrence, metastasis, and mortality. Therefore, effective strategies for mental function rehabilitation should be urgently developed. Traditional Chinese medicine can significantly improve psychological function and physical symptoms after lung cancer surgery, and prolong patient survival. However, its effectiveness for mental function rehabilitation after lung cancer surgery remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Chinese medicine on mental function recovery after lung cancer surgery through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: This study will systematically search the following databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang database, VIP database, and Chinese BioMedical Literature database. Search for studies published from the inception of each database until April 22, 2024. This study will be limited to clinical randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The primary outcome will be depression or anxiety, as indicated by the scale score. Data analysis will be performed using RevMan 5. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool will be used to evaluate the quality of included studies. Finally, the quality of the evidence will be classified using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) System.

Results: This meta-analysis aims to offer comprehensive evidence of the effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine in mental function rehabilitation after lung cancer surgery. The study will assess the quality of the reports and conduct a subgroup analysis based on various postoperative stages, intervention measures, intervention duration, and sex to gather more evidence to fill the gap in psychological function rehabilitation after lung cancer surgery. These data can be used to guide clinical practice and inform future studies. More importantly, the results of this study will provide evidence to support the development of expert consensus and clinical guidelines in the field of mental function rehabilitation after lung cancer surgery.

Background: Adherence in rehabilitation services includes attending appointments, regularly performing prescribed exercises, and correct exercise execution. The Exercise Adherence Rating Scale (EARS) has been adapted into several languages, but there is lack of a standardized tool for various Indian languages and cultural contexts, particularly for use with cancer survivors. With the anticipated 57.7% rise in cancer cases by 2040, this study aims to address this gap.

Aims and objectives: To cross-culturally adapt EARS to Kannada (EARS-Kn) and evaluate its validity and reliability amongst HNC survivors enrolled in the Multimodal Oncology Rehabilitation Exercise-MORE^© Program.

Methodology: Following Beaton guidelines, the EARS tool was adapted to Kannada. 34 HNC survivors engaged in the MORE^© program. Internal consistency (Cronbach's ⍺) and construct validity (Exploratory Factor Analysis, EFA) were assessed. The Receiver Operating Curve (ROC) determined cut-off scores, sensitivity and specificity of the EARS-Kn.

Results: The EARS-Kn demonstrated a Cronbach's-⍺ value of .93. The EFA revealed a one-factor solution with eigenvalues exceeding one and 70.1% loading. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.908. A cut-off score of 17 was established, with 95.83% sensitivity and 80% specificity.

Conclusion: The EARS-Kn version showed strong validity and reliability among Kannada-speaking HNC survivors, indicating its potential to enhance the understanding of exercise adherence among them. Future studies could explore the EARS-Kn version among diverse populations prescribed various rehabilitation regimes. Studies could also further investigate psychometric properties of the EARS in different Indian languages among cancer survivors, which would help improve survivorship outcomes.

Background: Over the last decade, the anticancer effects of Rhus verniciflua Stokes (RVS) have been reported in various preclinical or clinical studies. However, the effects of RVS on immuno-oncology, especially on the functional properties of T cells and their phenotypes, remain unclear. Here, we planned to investigate the impact of RVS on immuno-oncology, specifically focusing on its effects on T cells.

Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from breast cancer patients were isolated to obtain cytokine-induced killer cell populations with >85% CD3+ T cells. The anticancer activity of these T cells was evaluated by introducing red fluorescent protein (RFP) into HLA-A02:01 type-matched breast cancer cell lines (MCF7 and MDA-MB-231) and analyzing the results using flow cytometry. The effect of RVS extracts on T cell phenotype was assessed using markers such as CTLA-4 and PD-1, as well as mRNA expression levels of key genes (IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-2).

Results: RVS treatment significantly enhanced the anticancer activity of T cells against breast cancer cells. Specifically, T cells treated with 100 µg/mL of RVS showed a 20.6% increase in cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cells and a 36.2% increase against MDA-MB231 cells compared to the control. Additionally, RVS treatment led to a significant reduction in PD-1 expression on T cells.

Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that RVS treatment enhances T cell function against breast cancer cells by reducing PD-1 expression. These results suggest that components of RVS may serve as potential candidates for restoring exhausted T cells in cancer therapy.

Introduction: As pharmacological strategies remain limited for relieving fatigue and associated cognitive symptoms, integrative modalities such as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) could be explored as therapeutic strategies in cancer survivors. Here, we evaluate and report the efficacy and safety of a TCM concoction, modified Xiang Bei Yang Rong Tang (XBYRT), on quality of life (QOL), cancer-related fatigue (CRF), and cognitive symptoms, compared to placebo.

Methods: In a single-centered, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled pilot trial conducted from 2019 to 2022, fatigued cancer survivors ≥21 years old were recruited to receive the XBYRT intervention or placebo (5% diluted) once daily for the duration of 8 weeks. Patient-reported outcomes for QOL, CRF, cognition, blood samples for biomarker testing, and adverse events were collected at baseline (T0), 4 weeks (T1), 8 weeks (T2), and 10 weeks (T3) after baseline. Linear regression was performed to evaluate differences between groups at T2 and T3.

Results: A total of 1502 patients were screened, with 672 patients considered eligible. Of the eligible, 15 XBYRT and 13 placebo subjects with similar mean ages (58.5 vs 58.4) were recruited. Both groups were predominantly Chinese (93% vs 62%), breast cancer patients (87% vs 62%), and diagnosed with stage 2 cancer (60% vs 46%). Although no significant difference was found in QOL between groups, the XBYRT group exhibited improved emotional fatigue at T3 (P = .045) and higher BDNF levels at T2 (P = .047) and T3 (P = .029). After baseline adjustment, XBYRT was associated with better perceived cognitive impairment at T2 (P = .011) and T3 (P = .017), as well as overall perceived cognitive function at T3 (P = .028). XBYRT is well tolerated, with grade 3 adverse events reported in three XBYRT (20%) and two placebo (15%) subjects.

Conclusion: In this pilot study, XBYRT as an integrative therapy is safe and generates encouraging improvements in cognitive and fatigue symptoms. Difficulties with recruitment limited the generalizability of trial findings, thus findings should be verified through a larger, multi-centered trial.