Efficacy and Safety of Ginger on Chemotherapy Side Effects in Breast Cancer Patients

Introduction

• Cancer: Leading cause of death globally
  • 1,918,030 new cases and 609,360 deaths expected in 2022
  • Breast cancer most prevalent: 287,850 new cases (31%)
• Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting (CINV)
  • Serious side effect of chemotherapy
  • Types of CINV: Acute, Delayed, Anticipatory, Breakthrough, Refractory
  • Chemotherapy drugs categorized by emetic risk
• Current Treatments
  • Combination of antiemetic agents
  • Side effects: insomnia, indigestion, agitation
• Alternative Treatments
  • Ginger (Zingiber officinale) traditionally used for nausea
  • Contains active compounds: shogaols, gingerols, zingerone, paradols
  • Affects serotonin release involved in CINV

Objective

• Evaluate the efficacy and safety of ginger in managing CINV in breast cancer patients

Methods

• Systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA and Cochrane guidelines
• Criteria:
  • RCTs in English and Chinese
  • Focus on breast cancer patients with CINV
  • Ginger as the intervention
• Search databases: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang
• Data extraction and risk of bias assessment conducted

Results

Literature Search

• 165 records identified, 5 RCTs included

Characteristics of Included Studies

• Participants: Age 41.8 - 52.1 years
• Sample sizes: 60 - 119 patients
• Interventions: Ginger in capsule, powder or slices
• Ginger dosage: 0.5g to 1.5g daily over 3-6 days

Risk of Bias

• Low to high risk across studies

Effects of Ginger

• Acute CINV:
  • Ginger more effective than control (SMD 0.48, p = 0.008)
  • Significant reduction in nausea and vomiting
• Delayed CINV:
  • Ginger reduced incidence and severity (SMD 0.48, p = 0.006)
  • Effective in reducing delayed vomiting
• Safety
  • No severe adverse effects reported
  • Minor side effects: heartburn, headache, vertigo

Discussion

• CINV is distressing; requires varied treatment regimens
• Ginger is a promising alternative due to its long history of use in nausea relief
• Studies show ginger's antiemetic and anticancer effects
• More studies needed to confirm findings and assess long-term impacts

Conclusions

• Ginger might be effective and safe for managing CINV in breast cancer patients
• More rigorous clinical trials required

Limitations

• Limited to English and Chinese databases
• Heterogeneity of included studies
• Variability in outcome measurement tools

References

• Cited studies on ginger's effects, cancer statistics, and treatment guidelines