Fish oil
| Property | Information |
|---|---|
| Drug Name | Fish Oil (Omega-3 Fatty Acids: EPA and DHA) |
| FDA Approval | No (Used as a dietary supplement; not specifically FDA-approved for cancer treatment) |
| Used for | Investigational use in cancer treatment for potential cytotoxic effects and enhancement of chemotherapy and radiation therapy efficacy |
| Clinical Trial Phase | Clinical trials (e.g., advanced cancer study with cachexia, metastatic breast cancer Phase II trial, advanced non-small cell lung cancer trial) |
| Clinical Trial Explanation | Not specified |
| Common Side Effects | Well-tolerated; potential side effects include fishy aftertaste, gastrointestinal discomfort |
| OS without | Malnourished advanced cancer patients: 110 days; adequately nourished patients: 350 days; chemotherapy alone in non-small cell lung cancer: 39% one-year survival |
| OS with | Fish oil supplementation: Malnourished advanced cancer patients: 210 days; adequately nourished patients: 500 days; metastatic breast cancer trial with high-DHA: median survival of 34 months vs. low-DHA: 18 months; non-small cell lung cancer with fish oil: 60% one-year survivalProperty "Has OS with" (as page type) with input value "Fish oil supplementation: Malnourished advanced cancer patients: 210 days; adequately nourished patients: 500 days; metastatic breast cancer trial with high-DHA: median survival of 34 months vs. low-DHA: 18 months; non-small cell lung cancer with fish oil: 60% one-year survival" contains invalid characters or is incomplete and therefore can cause unexpected results during a query or annotation process. |
| PFS without | Not specified |
| PFS with | Not specifically documented; research highlights increased survival and potential for enhanced treatment efficacy |
| Usefulness Rating | 4 |
| Usefulness Explanation | Not specified |
| Toxicity Level | 1 |
| Toxicity Explanation | Fish Oil, or Omega-3 Fatty Acids (EPA and DHA), is well-tolerated by patients. This supplement is not typically associated with severe or dangerous side effects. The most common side effects include a fishy aftertaste and minor gastrointestinal discomfort. Therefore, it's toxicity level is low. |
Notes: Omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, from fish oil have shown anti-cancer properties in both lab and clinical settings, including apoptosis induction and chemotherapy/radiation enhancement. Clinical trials indicate fish oil increases survival times and reduces chemotherapy toxicity in patients with advanced cancers, suggesting a beneficial role in cancer therapy. The data underscore the need for additional research to establish efficacy, optimal dosing, and integration into conventional cancer treatment protocols.
From Ben Williams Book: Fish oil (source of omega-3 fatty acids)
The major omega-3 fatty acids found in cold-water fish oil, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have also been demonstrated to have potent cytotoxic effects on cancer cells in various laboratory experiments. Part of their mechanism of action is similar to that of GLA, in that the metabolism of these fatty acids creates high levels of free radicals. In addition, a recent laboratory study has shown that EPA-treated tumors showed a significant arrest of cell division due to inhibition of cyclins at the G1 phase of cell division, which resulted in an increased rate of programmed cell death known as apoptosis (241).
A clinical trial comparing fish-oil supplements versus a placebo has also been reported, involving patients with several different types of advanced cancer (242). Thirty malnourished patients suffering from cachexia were randomly assigned to receive 18 g of fish oil per day or a placebo sugar pill. An additional thirty subjects, adequately nourished, received a similar random assignment. For both groups the fish oil significantly increased survival. For the malnourished patients the median survival times, as estimated from their survivor functions, were 110 days for the patients receiving placebo and 210 days for patients in the fish oil group. For the adequately nourished patients, the corresponding numbers were 350 versus 500 days.
In laboratory studies (243) fish oil has also been shown to increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation. A phase II trial involving 25 heavily pretreated metastatic breast cancer patients, used 1.8 g/day of DHA, one of the two major fatty acids in fish oil, in combination with standard anthracycline-based chemotherapy (244). Patients previously had failed both chemotherapy and hormone treatments and many had multiple metastases, including many liver metastases. Because this was a phase II trial, there was no control group that received chemotherapy alone, but patients were subdivided according to their level of plasma DHA. The two groups were approximately equal with respect to all major prognostic variables. Median survival for the high DHA patients was 34 months, vs. 18 months for the low-DHA patients.
A second clinical trial presented 2200 mg of EPA plus 240 mg of DHA to patients with advanced non small cell lung cancer (245). Patients either received only the standard of care of chemotherapy, or the same treatment in combination with daily fish oil. Response rate (tumor regressions) was 60% in the fish oil group and 26% in those receiving only the standard of care. One-year survival was 60% in the fish oil group versus 39% in those receiving only chemotherapy. Chemotherapy toxicity was also decreased in those using fish oil.Property "Has original text" (as page type) with input value "Fish oil (source of omega-3 fatty acids)</br></br>The major omega-3 fatty acids found in cold-water fish oil, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)</br>and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have also been demonstrated to have potent cytotoxic</br>effects on cancer cells in various laboratory experiments. Part of their mechanism of</br>action is similar to that of GLA, in that the metabolism of these fatty acids creates high</br>levels of free radicals. In addition, a recent laboratory study has shown that EPA-treated</br>tumors showed a significant arrest of cell division due to inhibition of cyclins at the G1</br>phase of cell division, which resulted in an increased rate of programmed cell death</br>known as apoptosis (241).</br></br>A clinical trial comparing fish-oil supplements versus a placebo has also been reported,</br>involving patients with several different types of advanced cancer (242). Thirty</br>malnourished patients suffering from cachexia were randomly assigned to receive 18 g of</br>fish oil per day or a placebo sugar pill. An additional thirty subjects, adequately</br>nourished, received a similar random assignment. For both groups the fish oil</br>significantly increased survival. For the malnourished patients the median survival times,</br>as estimated from their survivor functions, were 110 days for the patients receiving</br>placebo and 210 days for patients in the fish oil group. For the adequately nourished</br>patients, the corresponding numbers were 350 versus 500 days.</br></br>In laboratory studies (243) fish oil has also been shown to increase the effectiveness of</br>chemotherapy and radiation. A phase II trial involving 25 heavily pretreated metastatic</br>breast cancer patients, used 1.8 g/day of DHA, one of the two major fatty acids in fish oil,</br>in combination with standard anthracycline-based chemotherapy (244). Patients</br>previously had failed both chemotherapy and hormone treatments and many had</br>multiple metastases, including many liver metastases. Because this was a phase II trial,</br>there was no control group that received chemotherapy alone, but patients were</br>subdivided according to their level of plasma DHA. The two groups were approximately</br>equal with respect to all major prognostic variables. Median survival for the high DHA</br>patients was 34 months, vs. 18 months for the low-DHA patients.</br></br>A second clinical trial presented 2200 mg of EPA plus 240 mg of DHA to patients with</br>advanced non small cell lung cancer (245). Patients either received only the standard of</br>care of chemotherapy, or the same treatment in combination with daily fish oil. Response</br>rate (tumor regressions) was 60% in the fish oil group and 26% in those receiving only</br>the standard of care. One-year survival was 60% in the fish oil group versus 39% in those</br>receiving only chemotherapy. Chemotherapy toxicity was also decreased in those using</br>fish oil." contains invalid characters or is incomplete and therefore can cause unexpected results during a query or annotation process.
