Intravenous Chemotherapy and Plant-based Dietary Supplements (CIVCAP)

Institut Cancerologie de l'Ouest

Status: Completed

Conditions: Breast Cancer

Treatments: Other: dietary supplements questionary

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03959618

ICO-N-2018-12

2018-A02460-55 (Registry Identifier)

Details and patient eligibility

About

More and more patients report taking dietary supplements based on herbal medicine, aromatherapy, vitamintherapy,... in the course of their detoxifying anticancer chemotherapy, to stimulate the immune defenses, to relieve and/or decrease the side effects of chemo or even to act against cancer. At European level, there are between 15 and 73% of patients treated for cancer taking a dietary supplement (in particular phytotherapy) or a great heterogeneity according to the studies. However, there is still little evidence of the efficacy of these dietary supplements. A large proportion of patients do not seem to inform their doctor about the use of dietary supplements. Patients using dietary supplements most often ignore the mode of action of these products and generally say they are not informed.

In 2015, at the West Cancerology Institute (ICO), 5 patient files were analyzed taking this type of treatment in addition to chemotherapy; in 2016, 24 files; 2017, 61 patient records and this continues to progress.

At the same time, a product appears very frequently associated with cancer chemotherapy: Desmodium Adscendens, an African plant with in vitro properties of liver protector. The Desmodium contains triterpene saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols, and tryptamine derivatives.

Morevover, several situations of patients undergoing chemotherapy and taking long-term Desmodium, with hepatic cytolyses were experienced, not explained by the usual treatments (case described in the literature).

Therefore, this study will evaluate these new therapeutic modalities that are included in the intake of chemotherapy in order to better know them to improve the therapeutic taking of patients and to focus on the impact of Desmodium in association with chemotherapy.

Full description

• Determine the quantitative impact of the use of dietary supplements by patients with breast cancer and treated in a neo-adjuvant and/or adjuvant condition by IV chemotherapy in day hospital.
• Determine an over-risk of disruption of liver balance in the population of patients taking Desmodium.
• Gather a critical mass of relevant information with the objective of carrying out the evaluation and analysis of cancer care practices related to the intake of dietary supplements.

Enrollment: 200 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• breast cancer treated by intra-venous chemotherapy
• inclusion at the last cycle (cure)
• all chemotherapy cycles realised at ICO

Exclusion criteria

• no breast cancer
• metastatic breast cancer
• not all chemotherapy cycles realised at ICO
• patient who has not finished his chemotherapy

Trial design

200 participants in 1 patient group

dietary supplements group

Description:

dietary supplements questionary

Treatment:

Other: dietary supplements questionary