HEALTH: Melatonin Could Help Patients on Chemotherapy

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Here is something interesting...

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Melatonin Could Help Patients on Chemotherapy

by Ray Sahelian M.D.

(Author of DHEA: A Practical Guide, Melatonin: Nature's Sleeping Pill, and

Creatine: Nature's Muscle Builder and other titles)

 

One of the serious drawbacks of chemotherapy is the resultant

destruction of many aspects of the immune system along with destruction

of various blood cells. In experiments on rodents, it has been shown

that melatonin could counteract chemotherapy-induced immune suppression.

To test whether this same positive response could be replicated in

humans, Dr. Lissoni and colleagues, from the Division of Radiation

Oncology, S. Gerardo Hospital, in Milan, Italy, evaluated the role of

melatonin given with the chemotherapy. Eighty patients were randomized

to receive either the chemotherapy alone, or the chemotherapy with

melatonin. Thirty-five of these patients had lung cancer, 31 had breast

cancer, and 14 had various gastrointestinal tract tumors. Lung cancer

patients were receiving cisplatin, the breast cancer patients were being

treated with mitoxantrone, and the patients with gastrointestinal tumors

were receiving 5-fluorouracil. The melatonin was given in the evening at

a dose of 20 mg.

 

At the end of the study, patients given the melatonin had a higher

number of platelets, had less weakness, and less nerve damage. Loss of

hair and nausea were not influenced by the melatonin. The authors say,

" This pilot study seems to suggest that the concomitant administration

of the pineal hormone melatonin during chemotherapy may prevent some

chemotherapy-induced side-effects, particularly myelosuppression and

neuropathy. "

 

Comments: Over the past few years a number of studies have shown that

melatonin plays a positive role in the therapy of cancer patients. At

this point, we don't know the ideal dose of melatonin to use with

various types of cancers, nor do we know the ideal time to administer

this hormone. However, there is enough evidence at this time to serious

consider the nightly use of a small amount of melatonin, perhaps in the

0.5 to 3 mg range, in anyone who has cancer. However, this should be

done under the guidance of health care practitioner.

 

Lissoni P, Tancini G, Barni S, Paolorossi F, Ardizzoia A, Conti A,

Maestroni G. Treatment of cancer chemotherapy-induced toxicity with the

pineal hormone melatonin. Support Care Cancer, March, 5:126-9, 1997.

 

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