TITLE:
Nutritional Supplement Ocoxin® Combined with Gemcitabine-Based Chemotherapy in Patients with Advanced Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma
AUTHORS:
Mayté Lima-Pérez, Jorge Luis Soriano-García, Masiel González-Meisozo, Jorge Luis Soriano-Lorenzo, Vilma Fleites-Calvo, Dunia Morales-Morgado, Carlos Domínguez-Álvarez, Iván Ramón-Concepción, Raidel Rodríguez-Barrios, Alicia Tarinas-Reyes, Ivis Mendoza-Hernández, Rolando Uranga-Piña
KEYWORDS:
EORTC QLQ-C30, Ocoxin, Chemotherapy, Pancreatic Cancer, Quality of Life
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Gastroenterology,
Vol.14 No.8,
August
29,
2024
ABSTRACT: Background: the quality of life (QoL) of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), with its limited survival, can be affected by chemotherapy-induced toxicity. The main objective was to evaluate the effect of introducing ocoxin oral solution (OOS) in combination with standard therapy on quality of life. Methods: Thirty patients were enrolled in an exploratory, prospective, single-centre clinical trial in the oncology department of “Hermanos Ameijeiras” University Hospital in Havana, Cuba. Quality of life was measured using the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire and toxicity was assessed using the NCI-CTC-AE classification version 5.0. Results: There was stability in the scores over time for overall QoL and the functional scale criteria, while in terms of symptoms, fatigue, pain and loss of appetite were reduced. No grade 3 - 4 adverse events (AEs) were recorded, and only 14.9% of toxicities were classified as grade 2, and these were considered to be unrelated to OOS. Biochemical and nutritional parameters were normalised at 12 months compared to the baseline values. Conclusions: This clinical study is the first report of the use of OOS in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, and demonstrates that it is able to maintain optimal quality of life with reduced severity of toxicity during and after combination treatment with gemcitabine-based chemotherapy.