Side
Effects or CAM & Life Style > Radioprotective
strategies Last
Update: 02/24/2006
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Introduction
| Biologics | Radio-protective
drugs | Radio-enhancing drugs | Antioxidants? | Fats & Fatty Acids? | Phytochemicals?
The abstracts within do not
demonstrate proof of benefit or absence of risk.
See Evaluating Medical Claims
& Data for details.
Radiotherapy
and radio-imaging are commonly used to effectively treat and monitor
patients with lymphomas and other cancers. However,
information about how patients might protect themselves from the
side effects associated with these procedures is not readily
available. The goal of this page is to provide links to
reliable sources of information on this topic so that patients and
their doctors can make better-informed decisions, and so patients
can avoid practices that might potentially interfere with
treatments.
Radio-protective:
a quality of some drugs, foods, or lifestyles that may protect
healthy tissue from the toxic effects of anticancer drugs, or carcinogens
in the environment.
Radio-enhancement: a property
of some drugs, foods, or lifestyles that may increase the
effectiveness of anticancer treatment.
Note: it is always possible that interventions with
radio-protective & enhancing properties may have unintended
adverse consequences when used when receiving treatments. Only
well- designed clinical trials can provide the data for informed
use.
IMPORTANT: Discussion of the use of
supplements with your physicians is particularly important when undergoing treatment.
Biologics:
Biologics,
with trade names such as Neumega®,
Neupogen®, and Procrit®
can help to restore blood counts, and protect you from many side
effects associated with radiotherapy. Importantly, these new
therapies can help to keep you on treatment schedule, which could be
important to how effective your treatment will be.
See Biologics for details.
Radioprotective drugs:
 | Mouth gel [tetracaine] curbs oral pain after
radiotherapy for cancer - .nlm.nih.gov
"An oral gel containing the anesthetic tetracaine reduces
mouth soreness caused by radiation treatment for cancer of the
head and neck, according to results of a study. Mouth inflammation
and sores, or mucositis, are a common and serious side effect of
radiation therapy for head and neck cancer patients. Mucositis can
lead to problems with drinking and eating, as well as infection."
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| Melatonin as a radioprotective agent: a review.
Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2004 Jul 1;59(3):639-53. PMID: 15183467
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| Phase III randomized trial of Calendula officinalis compared with trolamine for the prevention of acute dermatitis during irradiation for breast cancer.
J Clin Oncol. 2004 Apr 15;22(8):1447-53. PMID: 15084618
| related
abstracts (Could well apply to radiotherapy for any
cancer.)
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| Chlorhexidine prophylaxis for chemotherapy- and
radiotherapy-induced stomatitis: a randomized double-blind trial.
Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1990 Mar;69(3):331-8. PMID:
2179802 - PubMed
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Radio-enhancing drugs:
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Antioxidants?
Antioxidants use with radiotherapy is a controversial subject.
Please consult with your physician before self-administering antioxidants
or any supplement, especially during treatment.
It appears that radical-scavenging properties of
some natural compounds may explain the protective effects against
radiation.
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Melatonin
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Radioprotective effect of melatonin assessed by measuring
chromosomal damage in mitotic and meiotic cells. Mutat Res.
1999 Aug 18;444(2):367-72. abstract
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| Silymarin (Milk Thistle)
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Radioprotective effect of silymarin against
radiation induced hepatotoxicity.
Pharmacol Res. 2002 Jun;45(6):447. PMID: 12162944 - PubMed
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| Vitamin C (also note important negative interactions with
copper below)
| Roles of vitamin C in radiation-induced DNA
damage in presence and absence of copper. Chem Biol Interact.
2001 Jul 31;137(1):75-88. abstract
NOTE: This item points to the complexities of the
interactions between vitamins, minerals, and therapeutics.
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| Vitamin E & selenium & other
antioxidants- Food sources: nuts,
wheat germ
| Nutritional approaches to radioprotection:
vitamin E. Mil Med. 2002 Feb;167(2 Suppl):57-9. abstract
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| The effect of selenium and/or vitamin E
treatments on radiation-induced intestinal injury in rats. -
Life Sci 2000 Apr 7;66
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Fats & Fatty acids?
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Fats and fatty acids. Also see Fats
& Fish oil
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Polyunsaturated fatty acids increase the sensitivity of
36B10 rat astrocytoma cells to radiation-induced cell kill.
Lipids. 1997 Mar;32(3):283-92. abstract
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Dietary eicosapentaenoic acid prevents systemic
immunosuppression in mice induced by UVB radiation. Radiat
Res. 2001 Jul;156(1):36-44. abstract
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Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids: impact on cancer
chemotherapy and radiation. Altern Med Rev. 2002
Feb;7(1):4-21. abstract
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Phytochemicals?
Phytochemicals are elements and compounds from higher plants
It may be that plants have adapted (evolved to
produce chemicals) to protect themselves from radiation received from
constant exposure to the sun. We cannot assume however, that all
plants listed here are safe and/or effective to use. Please consult
with your physician.
Plants, although "natural" can have toxic
side effects.
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| General:
| Attenuation of radiation-induced genomic instability by
free radical scavengers and cellular proliferation. Free Radic
Biol Med. 2001 Jul 1;31(1):10-9. abstract
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| The herbal preparation abana protects against
radiation-induced micronuclei in mouse bone marrow. Mutat Res.
1997 Sep 18;393(1-2):157-63. abstract
| abana
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| A review of cancer chemopreventive agents. Curr Med
Chem. 2001 Sep;8(11):1349-62. - Review
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Basil (Ocium santum)
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Protection against radiation-induced chromosome damage in mouse
bone marrow by Ocimum sanctum. Mutat Res. 1997 Feb 3;373(2):271-6. abstract
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Enhancement of bone marrow radioprotection and reduction of
WR-2721 toxicity by Ocimum sanctum. Mutat Res. 1998 Feb
2;397(2):303-12. abstract
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| Luteonlin - Food sources: Rooibos tea,
| Radioprotective effect of antioxidative flavonoids in
gamma-ray irradiated mice - Carcinogenesis 1994 Nov;15 abstract
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Himalayan Mayapple, or Indian mandrake (not readily available)
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Protection of mouse jejunum against lethal irradiation by
Podophyllum hexandrum. Phytomedicine. 2001 Nov;8(6):413-22. details
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Mint (Mentha arvensis)
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Influence of the leaf extract of Mentha arvensis Linn.
(mint) on the survival of mice exposed to different doses of
gamma radiation. Strahlenther Onkol. 2002 Feb;178(2):91-8. abstract
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Orientin and vicenin - Food sources: Passion Flower, Basil
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Radiation protection by the ocimum flavonoids orientin and
vicenin: mechanisms of action - Radiat Res 2000 Oct abstract
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Spirulina (algae) contains chlorophyll, vitamins B12 and B6, high
carotenoid levels
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The adaptive potentials of those who worked in the cleanup
of the aftermath of the accident at the Chernobyl Atomic
Electric Power Station under the influence of different
treatment methods Lik Sprava. 2000 Apr-Jun;(3-4):18-21. abstract
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Radioprotective effect of extract from Spirulina platensis
in mouse bone marrow cells studied by using the micronucleus
test.
Toxicol Lett. 1989 Aug;48(2):165-9. abstract
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The postradiation use of vitamin-containing complexes and
a phycocyanin extract in a radiation lesion in rats
Radiats Biol Radioecol. 2000 May-Jun;40(3):310-4. Russian. abstract
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