Probiotic Supplements on Oncology Patients’ Treatment-Related Side Effects: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Miguel Rodriguez-Arrastia, Adrian Martinez-Ortigosa, Lola Rueda-Ruzafa, Ana Folch Ayora and Carmen Ropero-Padilla
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Miguel Rodriguez-Arrastia: Faculty of Health Sciences, Pre-Department of Nursing, Jaume I University, Av. Sos Baynat, 12071 Castellon de la Plana, Spain
Adrian Martinez-Ortigosa: Emergency Department, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Puerto de Isabel la Catolica, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Lola Rueda-Ruzafa: Department of Functional Biology and Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology-CINBIO, Campus Lagoas-Marcosende, University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
Ana Folch Ayora: Faculty of Health Sciences, Pre-Department of Nursing, Jaume I University, Av. Sos Baynat, 12071 Castellon de la Plana, Spain
Carmen Ropero-Padilla: Faculty of Health Sciences, Pre-Department of Nursing, Jaume I University, Av. Sos Baynat, 12071 Castellon de la Plana, Spain

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 8, 1-16

Abstract: Cancer affects more than 19.3 million people and has become the second leading cause of death worldwide. Chemo- and radiotherapy, the most common procedures in these patients, often produce unpleasant treatment-related side effects that have a direct impact on the quality of life of these patients. However, innovative therapeutic strategies such as probiotics are being implemented to manage these complications. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of probiotics supplements as a therapeutic strategy in adult oncology treatment-related side effects. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials was conducted in PubMed, Scielo, ProQuest and OVID databases up to and including January 2021, following the PRISMA guidelines. The quality of the included studies was assessed by the Jadad Scale. Twenty clinical trials published between 1988 and 2020 were included in this review. Seventeen studies (85%) revealed predominantly positive results when using probiotics to reduce the incidence of treatment-related side effects in oncology patients, while three studies (15%) reported no impact in their findings. This study sheds some light on the significance of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in altering the composition of gut microbiota, where probiotic strains may play an important role in preventing or mitigating treatment-related side effects.

Keywords: drug therapy; gut microbiota; neoplasms; probiotics; radiotherapy; systematic review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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