Pancreatic Cancer (PDAC): introduction of evidence-based complementary measures into integrative clinical management
File(s)cancers-12-03096-v3.pdf (6.5 MB)
Published version
Author(s)
Jentzsch, Valerie
Davis, James AA
Djamgoz, Mustafa BA
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The most common form of pancreatic cancer is pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which comprises some 85% of all cases. Currently, this is the fourth highest cause of cancer mortality worldwide and its incidence is rising steeply. Commonly applied clinical therapies offer limited chance of a lasting cure and the five-year survival rate is one of the lowest of the commonly occurring cancers. This review cultivates the hypothesis that the best management of PDAC would be possible by integrating ‘western’ clinical medicine with evidence-based complementary measures. Protecting the liver, where PDAC frequently first spreads, is also given some consideration. Overall, the complementary measures are divided into three groups: dietary factors, nutraceutical agents and lifestyle. In turn, dietary factors are considered as general conditioners, multi-factorial foodstuffs and specific compounds. The general conditioners are alkalinity, low-glycemic index and low-cholesterol. The multi-factorial foodstuffs comprise red meat, fish, fruit/vegetables, dairy, honey and coffee. The available evidence for the beneficial effects of the specific dietary and nutraceutical agents was considered at four levels (in order of prominence): clinical trials, meta-analyses, in vivo tests and in vitro studies. Thus, 9 specific agents were identified (6 dietary and 3 nutraceutical) as acceptable for integration with gemcitabine chemotherapy, the first-line treatment for pancreatic cancer. The specific dietary agents were the following: Vitamins A, C, D and E, genistein and curcumin. As nutraceutical compounds, propolis, triptolide and cannabidiol were accepted. The 9 complementary agents were sub-grouped into two with reference to the main ‘hallmarks of cancer’. Lifestyle factors covered obesity, diabetes, smoking, alcohol and exercise. An integrative treatment regimen was devised for the management of PDAC patients. This involved combining first-line gemcitabine chemotherapy with the two sub-groups of complementary agents alternately in weekly cycles. The review concludes that integrated management currently offers the best patient outcome. Opportunities to be investigated in the future include emerging modalities, precision medicine, the nerve input to tumors and, importantly, clinical trials.
Date Issued
2020-11-01
Date Acceptance
2020-10-09
Citation
Cancers, 2020, 12 (11), pp.1-62
ISSN
2072-6694
Publisher
MDPI AG
Start Page
1
End Page
62
Journal / Book Title
Cancers
Volume
12
Issue
11
Copyright Statement
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000592911300001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Oncology
pancreatic cancer
PDAC
gemcitabine
integrated management
scheduling
diet
glycemic index
vitamins
nutraceuticals
lifestyle factors
clinical trial
NIH-AARP DIET
PHARMACOLOGICAL ASCORBATE SYNERGIZES
POLYUNSATURATED FATTY-ACIDS
TO-MESENCHYMAL TRANSITION
MODIFIABLE RISK-FACTORS
GLYCEMIC LOAD DIETS
VITAMIN-D-RECEPTOR
CIGARETTE-SMOKING
RETINOIC ACID
PHASE-I
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
ARTN 3096
Date Publish Online
2020-10-23