Source: Gut  |  Posted 10 years ago

Oral enzymes reduce the severity of the acute side effects associated with radiotherapy in locally advanced cervical cancer.

Researchers from Nargis Dutt Memorial Cancer Hospital, Maharashtra, and SIRO Research Foundation, Bombay, India, enrolled 120 patients with locally advanced, cervical cancer (stages IIa, IIb or IIIb) in a randomised, open, clinical trial. The patients, aged between 24 and 85 years, received external radiotherapy (50 Gy) over five weeks and, then, intra-cavitary brachytherapy (20-30 Gy).

Half the patients received oral trypsin, chymotrypsin and papain. The authors assessed side effects weekly and for eight weeks after the end of radiotherapy.

Acute side effects related to radiation were less intense in the patients receiving oral enzymes. The maximum extent of skin, vaginal mucosa, genitourinary and gastrointestinal reactions were all lower in patients who received oral enzymes compared to controls. Moreover, enzyme therapy was associated with lower total adverse event scores compared to controls.

During follow up, patients who received oral enzymes showed less severe side effects arising from radiotherapy than controls.

The authors concluded that oral therapy with trypsin, chymotrypsin and papain reduced the severity of side effects arising from radiotherapy used to treat locally advanced cervical cancer.