Ovarian Cancer

Efficacy of Alternative and Other Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:

Selenium Supplement [1, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. IMPORTANT: Selenium is toxic in high doses. Massive overdoses can cause kidney failure, breathing difficulty and death. Selenium should only be taken at healthy levels which the body is able to tolerate.

Recommendation: Weakly in favor (Observational studies have shown that taking adequate daily amounts of selenium can help prevent ovarian cancer. However, these are very unreliable studies, and more research is needed.)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Red Clover (Trifolium Pratense) [1, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: no recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that Red Clover helps to treat ovarian cancer)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Pokeweed Antiviral Protein (PAP) [1, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. Warning! All parts of the plant, Pokeweed (Phytolacca Americana), is poisonous and should not be ingested. Thoroughly cooking the plant reduces that toxicity. The effects of the improperly prepared plant include vomiting, diarrhoea, cramps, headache, confusion, convulstions, low blood pressure, heart block and death. Only plant extracts (PAP) or thoroughly prepared plants should be ingested, and even then, under professional medical guidance.

Recommendation: weakly in favor (Laboratory studies show that PAP may hold promise in the treatment of ovarian cancer, but more clinical trials are needed)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Mistletoe (Iscador, Viscum Album) [1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. WARNING: The mistletoe plant should NOT be eaten because it is poisonous. May cause seizures, coma and death. It should only be taken as a purified mistletoe extract, and only in recommended doses.

Recommendation: No recommendation (Studies on the effect of Mistletoe on Ovarian Cancer have yielded mixed, conflicting results. More research is needed.)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

* www.gradeworkinggroup.org

Folic Acid [1, 2, 3, 4]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: weakly against (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that folic acid helps to prevent ovarian cancer. With regards to treating an existing cancer, there is a risk that folic acid supplements may actually be harmful.)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

* www.gradeworkinggroup.org

Summary References

Treatments:

1. Ades T, Alteri R, Gansler T, Yeargin P, "Complete Guide to Complimentary & Alternative Cancer Therapies", American Cancer Society, Atlanta USA, 2009

2. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002092.htm

3. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/folicacid.html

4. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/folic-acid

5. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/mistletoe

6. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/mistletoe/ataglance.htm

7. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002883.htm

8. http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/m/mistle40.html

9. http://www.bmj.com/content/333/7582/1293.full?ijkey=56e55886cc53e0c478801e74001edc3bea1c322e&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha

10. http://www.cbif.gc.ca/pls/pp/ppack.info?p_psn=12&p_type=all&p_sci=sci&p_x=px

11. http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Phytolacca+americana

12. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/315368

13. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002874.htm

14. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/pokeweed

15. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/redclover/

16. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19609225

17. http://www.babyhopes.com/articles/natural-fertility-boosters.html

18. http://indigo-herbs.co.uk/acatalog/Red_Clover_Flowers_Info.html

19. http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/trifolium_pratense.html

20. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/red-clover

21. http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/69350.cfm

22. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/selenium?sitearea=ETO

23. http://www.cancer.gov/Templates/doc.aspx?viewid=ED8AD8E8-6AE5-458D-8091-393F4CB73F0D

24. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-selenium.html

25. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9290116

26. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9829869

27. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10335455

28. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2136228

29. http://www.springerlink.com/content/v0r644v4ju5153k2/

30. http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/101/5/283

Public Discussion