Searching for Evidence to Support the Use of Ginger in the Prevention of Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting.
Patients with cancer frequently use dietary supplementation and herbal therapies to control symptoms of disease and adverse effects of cancer therapy. Despite the widespread use of dietary supplementation and herbal therapies in oncology, robust scientific evidence in this area is lacking. Not only do these products need to be tested in large and well-designed observational or randomized studies, but their manufacturing process must be improved to achieve higher levels of standardization in product quality. Ginger is frequently used to counteract chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), and some suggestions that it might be effective against CINV come from randomized and/or crossover clinical trials. However, several limitations in the methods of these studies limit their power and generalizability. The authors are conducting a randomized, double-blind study with a large sample size and homogeneous inclusion criteria in order to evaluate the efficacy of a well-standardized ginger extract in reducing nausea in patients with cancer. The widespread use of standardized herbal therapies and natural components among patients requires that scientific and rigorous research strategies are applied in this field to guide the physicians and the patients in safer use.
1 Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori , Milano, Italy .
Paolo
P
Bossi
2 Ospedale San Gerardo, Monza, Italy .
Diego
D
Cortinovis
3 Istituto Europeo di Oncologia , Milano, Italy .
Maria
M
Cossu Rocca
4 Ospedale Santa Maria, Terni, Italy .
Fausto
F
Roila
5 Università Sapienza , Roma, Italy .
Patrizia
P
Seminara
6 Istituto Nazionale Tumori Regina Elena , Roma, Italy .
Alessandra
A
Fabi
2 Ospedale San Gerardo, Monza, Italy .
Stefania
S
Canova
3 Istituto Europeo di Oncologia , Milano, Italy .
Elena
E
Verri
4 Ospedale Santa Maria, Terni, Italy .
Sonia
S
Fatigoni
5 Università Sapienza , Roma, Italy .
Alessandro
A
Iannace
7 Helsinn Integrative Care, Lugano, Switzerland .
Fabio
F
Macchi
1 Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori , Milano, Italy .
Carla
C
Ripamonti
D000932:Antiemetics / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D020939:Zingiber officinale / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D009325:Nausea / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014839:Vomiting / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*
D000932:Antiemetics; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts