From the point of view of naturopathic medicine there are a number of agents which should be used to augment the effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatments for glioblastoma. It makes great sense to use as many simultaneous treatment options as possible to increase the effective kill of the tumor cells. Sequential treatments allow the cells to adapt and become resistant. A literature SEARCH today (April 30, 2005)found the following list of nutritional supplements which is far from a comprehensive list of things useful in treating cancer. It's limited to things which are of particular interest when treating glioblastoma. Other supplements should also be considered especially ones which have a systemic effect on the immune system. Berberine: Berberine is a yellow colored alkaloid commonly used in herbal medicine. It is found in a number of different medicinal herbs; the most popular is Golden seal (Hydrastis Canadensis), but also in Oregon grape and Chinese Isatis. The later two have become more common sources as Goldenseal has become rare from over harvesting. Berberine increases the benefit of chemotherapy. In one laboratory study of using both various kinds of glioma cell cultures and implanted tumors in rodents (156), the cytotoxic effects of berberine were compared to those of BCNU and to the combination of berberine and BCNU. Berberine used alone produced a 91% kill rate in cell cultures, compared to 43% for BCNU. The combination produced a kill rate of 97%. Berberine increases the benefit of radiation treatment. It makes glioblastoma cells more sensitive to radiation damage without effecting healthy brain cells. Doses of 300 mg. several times a day are safe and provide maximum serum concentrations. Vitamin K Both Vitamin K-2 and Vitamin K-3 inhibit the growth of glioblastoma cells. Vitamin K-3 has a greater effect. In research focused on other cancer types, a combination of vitamin K-3 and vitamin C causes a specific form of cell death called autoschizis. Pretreatment with this Vitamin K-3 and C combination makes other cancer cell types more sensitive to chemotherapy and radiation. There is no reason not to assume the same effect will occur with glioblastoma cells. Melatonin: Low melatonin levels increase risk for all types of cancer. In a clinical trial in which melatonin was administered to patients being treated with radiation therapy for glioblastoma a very significant increase in one year survival was seen. Selenium: Selenium inhibits the growth of some lines of human glioblastoma cells. Vitamin D: Vitamin D kills glioblastoma cells. Vitamin E: The succinate form of vitamin E makes chemotherapy treatment of glioblastoma cells more effective. In other types of cancer this same form of vitamin E makes the cancer cells more sensitive to radiation treatment. The same may apply to glioblastoma. Boswellia: The resins of the Indian herb Boswellia are commonly used for treating inflammation. They are useful in decreasing the brain swelling associated with glioblastoma allowing a decrease in the use of prednisone and the resulting side effects. Boswellia also kills glioblastoma cells in a dose dependent manner. Soy: Certain saponin extracts of soy beans inhibit or kill glioblastoma cells. Other Treatments: There is every reason to believe that many of the other nutritional and botanical treatments found useful in treating other types of cancer may also apply to treating glioblastoma. The website version of this newsletter contains abstracts of all the stuides referenced and then some more. It may be found at this link: http://www.denvernaturopathic.com/news/glioblastoma.html Source: DNC News, April 2005 J Exp Ther Oncol, 7/04 Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.