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Fish Oil Improves Response to Chemo, Improves OS for Lung Cancer Patients

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Fish Oil Increases Response to Chemotherapy for Lung Cancer Patients and Increases Overall Survival Compared to Standard-of-Care

Image result for image of lung cancer

Lung cancer patients and survivors face several challenges. Non-small cell lung cancer is considered to be a difficult to treat cancer because it does not respond well to conventional chemotherapy. Further, toxic chemo often causes a side effect called muscle-wasting in NSCLC patients undergoing chemo.

Lung cancer patients and survivors must think about the big-picture.

A solution to both of the above challenges is to supplement with omega-3 fatty acids aka fish oil. The studies linked and excerpted below explain how NSCLC patients respond better, live better and live longer when supplementing with fish oil.

I am a long-term survivor of a different but equally difficult cancer. Twenty-four plus years of surviving my “incurable” cancer has taught me that conventional oncology is limited. Especially where aggressive cancers are concerned. I continue to be amazed by the integrative and complementary therapies (such as fish oil) that research shows can enhance efficacy while not interfering with conventional chemo.

To learn more about evidence-based therapies for lung cancer, please watch the short video below:

Click here to follow along with the FREE Introduction Guide.

Click here for your FREE First Questions Guide.

I supplement with Life Extension Super Omega-3 EPA/DHA with Sesame Lignans and Olive Extract, 240 easy-to-swallow softgels. This formula has been evaluated and approved by Consumerlab.com for purity and freshness. I highly recommend this brand of omega-3 fatty acids.

Have you been diagnosed with NSCLC? What stage? Scroll down the page, post a question or comment and I will reply to you ASAP.

Thanks and hang in there,

David Emerson

  • Cancer Survivor
  • Cancer Coach
  • Director PeopleBeatingCancer

Recommended Reading:


Supplementation with fish oil increases first-line chemotherapy efficacy in patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer.

However, the response rate to first-line chemotherapy in patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is less than 30%. Experimental studies have shown that supplementation with fish oil (FO) can increase chemotherapy efficacy without negatively affecting nontarget tissue. This study evaluated whether the combination of FO and chemotherapy (carboplatin with vinorelbine or gemcitabine) provided a benefit over standard of care (SOC) on response rate and clinical benefit from chemotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC…

Patients in the FO group had an increased response rate and greater clinical benefit compared with the SOC group (60.0% vs 25.8%). The incidence of dose-limiting toxicity did not differ between groups (P = .46). One-year survival tended to be greater in the FO group (60.0% vs 38.7%)

Conclusion: Compared with SOC, supplementation with FO results in increased chemotherapy efficacy without affecting the toxicity profile and may contribute to increased survival.”

Nutritional intervention with fish oil provides a benefit over standard of care for weight and skeletal muscle mass in patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer receiving chemotherapy.

“BACKGROUND: Involuntary weight loss is a major contributor to mortality and morbidity in patients with advanced cancer. Nutritional intervention with fish oil (FO)-derived eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) may prevent deterioration of body composition. This study compared intervention with FO with standard of care (SOC; no intervention) with regard to weight, skeletal muscle, and adipose tissue in newly referred patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer from the time of initiation to completion of first-line chemotherapy…

CONCLUSIONS: Nutritional intervention with 2.2 g of FO per day appears to provide a benefit over SOC, resulting in the maintenance of weight and muscle mass during chemotherapy.”

Omega-3 fatty acids improve liver and pancreas function in postoperative cancer patients

“After major abdominal tumor surgery, FO supplementation improved liver and pancreas function, which might have contributed to the faster recovery of patients. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc…”

 

 

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