1. Should omega-3 fatty acids be used for adjuvant treatment of cancer cachexia?
- Author
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Lavriv DS, Neves PM, and Ravasco P
- Subjects
- Cachexia epidemiology, Cachexia physiopathology, Fatty Acids, Omega-3 adverse effects, Fatty Acids, Omega-3 metabolism, Humans, Muscle, Skeletal metabolism, Neoplasms epidemiology, Neoplasms physiopathology, Quality of Life, Risk Factors, Treatment Outcome, Body Composition, Cachexia drug therapy, Dietary Supplements adverse effects, Fatty Acids, Omega-3 administration & dosage, Muscle, Skeletal physiopathology, Neoplasms therapy, Nutritional Status
- Abstract
Objectives: Cancer cachexia is characterised by a progressive loss of muscle, resulting in functional impairment and shorter survival. Therefore, omega-3 has been studied for its role as an anti-cachectic therapy. This systematic review identified studies published on use of omega-3 in cancer cachexia in order to examine the potential benefit., Methods: A systematic review of the literature using PubMed and B-on databases was conducted to identify clinical trials published between 2000 and 2015, to evaluate the effect of n-3 PUFAs on nutritional features and Quality of Life in cancer cachexia. Of 140 publications, 7 were selected on the basis of their methodological quality, according to the Delphi List. The collected data was summarized and written in text format and in tables., Results: Only one study, made in pre-cachectic population, show statistically and clinically positive intervention. No benefits were observed with the 4 g EPA/day, but a potentially clinically relevant treatment effect with 2 g EPA/day. Lung tumours showed the highest CRP levels and while the weight of patients with gastrointestinal cancer increased significantly, patients with lung cancer showed no significant response., Conclusions: Future cachexia trials would likely benefit from studying a single tumour type with earlier stage disease, with probably different dosage depending on the cancer type and its inflammatory profile., (Copyright © 2018 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2018
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