I have already shared information related to radiation therapy treatment in previous blogs. This time I want to discuss the chemotherapy treatment and Fucoidan, including whether we should consult to doctor before taking Fucoidan?

I sincerely recommend that you consult your doctor before taking Fucoidan. If you consult with your doctor who supports the combination of treatments, you will gain much needed confidence to use Fucoidan during your treatment.

Here I am going to explain the reason further for taking Fucoidan during Chemotherapy, and you can be the judge to decide if you would like to take Fucoidan.

According to “Fucoidan reduces the toxicities of chemotherapy for patients with unresectable advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer” by Masahide Ikeguchietal., they analyzed whether Fucoidan protects patients from the toxicity of anticancer drugs. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, general malaise, and myelosuppression are well-known and common side effects of anticancer drugs. Peripheral neuropathy is specific to oxaliplatin. We found Fucoidan to reduce the development of general malaise in patients with colorectal cancer during chemotherapy. Fatigue has been demonstrated to minimize individual patient resources, affect nutritional status, increase morbidity, and adversely affect the dose intensity cancer treatments. In our study, patients receiving Fucoidan were able to tolerate long-term chemotherapy without fatigue. Hence, the study shows and proves that patients have a quality of life without fatigue.

In another research, “Fucoidan and Cancer: A Multifunctional Molecule with Anti-Tumor Potential,” by Farzaneh Atashrazm et al., showed that traditionally, anticancer chemotherapy targets cells that rapidly divide and proliferate. Therefore, normal cells with high proliferative capacity are also affected.

Cladosiphon navae-caledoniae and the anticancer drug fucoidan reduced ERK phosphorylation in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells compared to untreated control or Fucoidan alone. Fucoidan synergistically reduced cell proliferation in the OE33 (esophageal cancer) cell line when combined with lapatinib, a targeted therapy that acts as a tyrosine kinase inhibitor in advanced HER2-positive breast cancer cells.

Furthermore, Xenograft studies investigated the effect of Fucoidan alone or in combination with cyclophosphamide on tumor growth. Nine days after injection of Lewis lung cancer cells into mice, Fucus fucoidan was given to animals alone or in combination with cyclophosphamide. The fucoidan group showed significant antitumor (33% inhibition of tumor growth) and antimetastasis (29% reduction in metastasis) activity.

However, Fucoidan did not show a synergistic effect with cyclophosphamide on tumor growth but significantly reduced lung cancer cell metastasis.

As per the proven studies shared above, you can obtain better chemotherapy results with Fucoidan and less fatigue when you undergo the treatment. Thus, you should discuss all the details with your doctor and have confidence in your treatment by consulting them. So, you can enjoy a healthy life.