calendula and Stomatitis

Homeopathic medicines are used by patients with cancer, often alongside conventional treatment. Cancer treatments can cause considerable morbidity and one of the reasons patients use homeopathic medicines is to help with adverse effects.. Evaluate effectiveness and safety of homeopathic medicines used to prevent or treat adverse effects of cancer treatments.. The following were searched up to November 2008: Cochrane PaPaS Trials Register; Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); MEDLINE; EMBASE; CINAHL; BNI; CancerLIT; AMED; CISCOM; Hom-Inform; SIGLE; National Research Register; Zetoc; www.controlled-trials.com; http://clinicaltrials.gov; Liga Medicorum Homeopathica Internationalis (LMHI, Liga) conference proceedings; reference lists of relevant studies were checked; and homeopathic manufacturers, leading researchers and practitioners were contacted.. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of homeopathic medicines in participants with a clinical or histological diagnosis of cancer where the intervention was aimed at preventing or treating symptoms associated with cancer treatments. All age groups, and all stages of disease were included.. Two review authors independently assessed studies for inclusion and two review authors extracted data. Three review authors independently assessed trial quality using the Delphi List and the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias. Disagreements were resolved by consensus. Where available, data were extracted for analysis.. Eight controlled trials (seven placebo controlled and one trial against an active treatment) with a total of 664 participants met the inclusion criteria. Three studied adverse effects of radiotherapy, three studied adverse effects of chemotherapy and two studied menopausal symptoms associated with breast cancer treatment.Two studies with low risk of bias demonstrated benefit: one with 254 participants demonstrated superiority of topical calendula over trolamine (a topical agent not containing corticosteroids) for prevention of radiotherapy-induced dermatitis, and another with 32 participants demonstrated superiority of Traumeel S (a proprietary complex homeopathic medicine) over placebo as a mouthwash for chemotherapy-induced stomatitis. Two other studies reported positive results, although the risk of bias was unclear, and four further studies reported negative results.No serious adverse effects or interactions were reported attributable to the homeopathic medicines used.. This review found preliminary data in support of the efficacy of topical calendula for prophylaxis of acute dermatitis during radiotherapy and Traumeel S mouthwash in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced stomatitis. These trials need replicating. There is no convincing evidence for the efficacy of homeopathic medicines for other adverse effects of cancer treatments. Further research is required.

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents; Breast Neoplasms; Calendula; Female; Homeopathy; Humans; Menopause; Minerals; Neoplasms; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts; Radiation Injuries; Radiodermatitis; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Stomatitis

There is no widely accepted intervention in the prevention of acute mucositis during chemoradiotherapy for head and neck carcinoma. In the present double-blind study, we tested 4 natural agents, propolis, aloe vera, calendula, and chamomile versus placebo.. Patients undergoing concomitant chemo-intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) were given natural agent or matched placebo; grade 3 mucositis on physical examination according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 3.0 was the primary endpoint. Various covariates were tested at logistic regression, including the individual amount of mucosa receiving at least 9.5 Gy per week (V9.5w).. One hundred seven patients were randomized from January 2011 to July 2014, and 104 were assessable (51%-49% were assigned to the placebo group and 53%-51% were assigned to the natural agent). Overall, 61 patients developed peak grade 3 mucositis with no difference between arms (P = .65). Conversely, V9.5w (P = .007) and primary site (P = .037) were independent predictors.. The selected natural agents do not prevent mucositis, whereas the role of V9.5w is confirmed.

Topics: Acute Disease; Adult; Aged; Aloe; Calendula; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Chamomile; Chemoradiotherapy; Double-Blind Method; Female; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Phytotherapy; Placebos; Plant Extracts; Primary Prevention; Propolis; Reference Values; Stomatitis; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND The purpose of the present research is to analyze the effect of polyphenols and flavonoids substrat (PFS) from plants Calendula officinalis, Salvia fruticosa, Achillea millefolium, and propolis as immunomodulatory in the production of interleukin (IL)-1ß and IL-10 in peripheral blood leukocytes medium (PBLM) in patients who were diagnosed with mucositis of peri-implant tissue compared to patients with healthy implant tissue. It was hypothesized that IL-1ß and IL-10 contribute to the inflammation processes noticed in the diseases of peri-implant tissues. MATERIAL AND METHODS Sixty non-smoking patients were included in this study: patients with healthy implants (HP group) and patients with peri-implant mucositis (MP group). Peri-mucositis was diagnosed by radiologic and clinical examination. The PBLM from MP were treated with PFS at various concentrations. The levels of IL-10 and IL-1ß excreted by the PBLM stimulated and unstimulated with viable Porphyromonas gingivalis test-tube were committed by the enzyme amplified immunoassay sensitivity method. RESULTS Unstimulated and stimulated PBLM and treatment with 5.0 mg/mL or 10.0 mg/mL of PFS in the MP group produced significantly higher levels IL-10 (P<0.001) that analogous mediums of the HP group. The levels of IL-1ß decreased more considerably in the stimulated PBLM of the MP group than in those of HP group (P<0.001) after the treatment with PFS at only 10.0 mg/mL concentration. CONCLUSIONS Theses results suggest that the solution of PFS might offer a new potential for the development of a new therapeutic path to prevent and treat peri-implant mucositis.

Topics: Achillea; Aged; Calendula; Camphanes; Dental Implants; Dental Plaque Index; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Female; Flavonoids; Humans; Interleukin-10; Interleukin-1beta; Leukocytes; Male; Middle Aged; Mucositis; Panax notoginseng; Peri-Implantitis; Periodontal Index; Plant Extracts; Polyphenols; Porphyromonas gingivalis; Salvia miltiorrhiza; Stomatitis

This study assessed the potential of topical Calendula officinalis extract on the healing of oral mucositis induced by 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in hamsters.. Oral mucositis was induced in 60 male hamsters by 5-FU (60 mg/kg) on days 0, 5, and 10 of the study. The cheek pouch was scratched with a sterile needle on days 1 and 2. On days 12-17, 5% and 10% C. officinalis gel and gel base groups were treated and then compared with a control group. Macroscopic and microscopic scores and weights were evaluated.. Microscopic and macroscopic scores of mucositis were lower in the 5% and 10% C. officinalis gel groups than in the gel base and control groups (P < .05). Weight gain was noted in the treatment groups compared with the gel base and control groups (P < .05).. Calendula officinalis extract accelerated the healing of oral mucositis in hamsters.

Topics: Abscess; Animals; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; Calendula; Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium; Cricetinae; Drug Carriers; Erythema; Fluorouracil; Gels; Hyperemia; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Male; Mesocricetus; Mouth Diseases; Mouth Mucosa; Oral Hemorrhage; Oral Ulcer; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts; Re-Epithelialization; Single-Blind Method; Stomatitis; Time Factors; Weight Gain; Wound Healing