title: Complementary medicine on side-effects of adjuvant hormone therapy in patients with breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This clinical investigation was performed in order to evaluate the benefit of complementary medicine in patients with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant hormone therapy (HT).
  
  
  METHODS
  The patients (n=680) were treated according to international guidelines. All patients suffered from arthralgia and mucosal dryness induced by the adjuvant HT. In order to reduce side-effects, the patients were complementarily treated with a combination of sodium selenite, proteolytic plant enzymes (bromelaine and papain) and Lens culinaris lectin. On case report formulas, self assessment of defined side-effects of HT (namely arthralgia and mucosal dryness) were documented before and four weeks after complementary treatment. Validation was carried out by scoring from 1 (no side-effects/optimal tolerability) to 6 (extreme side-effects/extremely poor tolerability), however, only patients suffering from severe side-effects (symptom scores >3) were enrolled in this investigation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 64% (316 out of 494) of patients suffering from severe arthralgia and 62% of patients (194 out of 310) with severe mucosal dryness significantly benefited from complementary medicine. The severity of side-effects of HT was reduced by complementary treatment. Mean scores of symptoms declined from 4.92 before treatment to 3.16 after four weeks of treatment for arthralgia and from 4.83 before treatment to 3.21 after four weeks of treatment for mucosal dryness, and these were the primary aims of this investigation. The reduction of side-effects of HT was statistically significant (p<0.001) after four weeks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This investigation further demonstrates benefits of indication-based complementary treatment with the combination of sodium selenite, proteolytic enzymes and L. culinaris lectin in patients with breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Naturopathy, University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 9, 50931 Cologne, Germany. hans.beuth@uk-koeln.de.
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Beuth
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Leendert
authors.forename: Berthold
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Uhlenbruck
mesh_terms: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018771:Arthralgia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001963:Bromelains / Q000008:administration & dosage; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000009:adverse effects; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010206:Papain / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D037121:Plant Lectins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D064586:Selenic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014987:Xerostomia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D010936:Plant Extracts; D037121:Plant Lectins; D001963:Bromelains; D010206:Papain; D064586:Selenic Acid
keywords: Breast cancer; L. culinaris lactin; adjuvant hormone therapy; complementary medicine; side-effects; tolerability