Melatonine - een referentielijst van studies met melatonine

Bron: allnutritionals

Op de onderstaande site zijn een heleboel studies van het gebruik van melatonine bij kankerbehandelingen op een rijtje gezet. voor artsen en medisch deskundigen misschien interessant om hier eens op te klikken: Melatoninestudies in een overzicht

Hier enkele passages betreffende melatonine bij kanker en als aanvullend gebruikt bij chemokuren ook van deze website gehaald. De nummers corresponderen met de referentielijst van zelfde website:

Cancer treatment
There are several early-phase and controlled human trials of melatonin in patients with various advanced stage malignancies, including brain, breast, colorectal, gastric, liver, lung, pancreatic, and testicular cancer, as well as lymphoma, melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, and soft-tissue sarcoma (89-117). Many of these studies have been conducted by the same research group. In this research, melatonin has been combined with other types of treatment, including radiation therapy (107), chemotherapies (such as cisplatin, etoposide, or irinotecan) (92;110;113;118;118-122), hormonal treatments (such as tamoxifen) (106;123;124), or immune therapies such as interferon (125), Interleukin-2 (102;126-144), or tumor necrosis factor (135;145;146). Most of these trials have been published by the same research group, and have involved giving melatonin orally, intravenously, or injected into muscle. Results have been mixed, with some patients stabilizing and others progressing. There are some promising reported results, including small significant improvements in the survival of patients with non-small cell lung cancer given oral melatonin with chemotherapy (cisplatin and etoposide). However, the design and results of this research are not sufficient to provide definitive evidence in favor of safe/effective use of melatonin in cancer patients. High-quality follow-up trials are necessary to confirm these preliminary results. It has been proposed that melatonin may benefit cancer patients through antioxidant, immune-enhancing, hormonal, anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic, apoptotic, or direct cytotoxic (cancer cell-killing) effects, and there are many ongoing laboratory and animal studies in these areas. Some experts believe that antioxidants can improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs and reduce side effects, while others suggest that antioxidants may actually interfere with the effectiveness of chemotherapies. Currently, no clear conclusion can be drawn in this area. There is not enough definitive scientific evidence to discern if melatonin is beneficial against any type of cancer, whether it increases (or decreases) the effectiveness of other cancer therapies, or if it safely reduces chemotherapy side effects.

Chemotherapy side effects
Several human trials have examined the effects of melatonin on side effects associated with various cancer chemotherapies (such as carboplatin, cisplatin, daunorubicin, doxorubicin, epirubicin, etoposide, 5-fluorouracil, gemcitabine, and mitoxantrone) (92;104;108;110;113;118-122). Most of these studies are published by the same research group, and involve giving melatonin through the veins or injected into muscle. Studies have included patients with advanced lung, breast, gastrointestinal, prostate, and head/neck cancers, as well as lymphoma. Promising early results include reductions in nerve injury (neuropathy), mouth sores (stomatitis), wasting (cachexia), and platelet count drops (thrombocytopenia) with various chemotherapy agents. Animal studies note reduced severity of heart damage from anthrocycline drugs (147-151) or lung damage from bleomycin (152;153). Some researchers attribute these reported benefits to antioxidant properties of melatonin. Overall, it remains controversial whether antioxidants increase effectiveness and reduce side effects of chemotherapies, or whether antioxidants actually reduce effectiveness of chemotherapies. Increased platelet counts after melatonin use have been observed in patients with decreased platelets due to cancer therapies (several studies reported by the same author) (113;115;120-122;130;131), and stimulation of platelet production (thrombopoeisis) has been suggested but not clearly demonstrated. Although these early reported benefits are promising, high-quality controlled trials are necessary before a clear conclusion can be reached in this area. It remains unclear if melatonin safely reduces side effects of various chemotherapies without altering effectiveness.

chemo, radiotherapie, kanker, melatonine