The Protective Effect of Curcumin on Hepatic Function in Cancer Patients Receiving Taxane-Based Chemotherapy: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: Cancer has become a significant health challenge in recent decades. The Taxane family is one of the popular chemotherapeutic agents which can cause hepatic injury. The present study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the hepato-protective effect of Curcumin on cancer patients treated with Taxanes. Method: This controlled randomized clinical trial (RCT) has been conducted on 80 patients with either breast, ovary, or pancreas cancer randomly allocated to the intervention group (n = 37) treated with daily 47.5 mg Curcumin extract or the control group (n = 34) treated with placebo. Hepatic indices, including alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, total bilirubin, and alkaline phosphatase, were measured and compared at baseline within three and six weeks after the intervention initiation. Results: The assessments revealed a remarkable increase in all of the indices in both groups by the time (P < 0.05), while these increases were remarkably less among the patients treated with curcumin in comparison with placebo treatment (P < 0.05). The Mean & PLUSMN; standard deviation was 26.3 & PLUSMN; 8.6 and 29.8 & PLUSMN; 10.5 for aspartate transaminase, 25.5 & PLUSMN; 8.3 and 30.2 & PLUSMN; 10.6 for alanine transaminase, 122.9 & PLUSMN; 18.02 and 126.8 & PLUSMN; 16.9 for alkaline phosphatase, 0.88 & PLUSMN; 0.10 and 0.95 & PLUSMN; 0.12 for bilirubin in the intervention and control groups, respectively. Conclusion: Based on the current study's findings, Curcumin could act relatively as a hepatoprotective agent against Taxane; however, further studies are strongly recommended to determine the dosage and consumption instruction of this agent for patients with cancer.