Intravenous Chemotherapy and Plant-based Dietary Supplements

More and more patients report taking dietary supplements based on herbal medicine, aromatherapy, vitamintherapy,... in the course of their detoxifying anticancer chemotherapy, to stimulate the immune defenses, to relieve and/or decrease the side effects of chemo or even to act against cancer. At European level, there are between 15 and 73% of patients treated for cancer taking a dietary supplement (in particular phytotherapy) or a great heterogeneity according to the studies. However, there is still little evidence of the efficacy of these dietary supplements. A large proportion of patients do not seem to inform their doctor about the use of dietary supplements. Patients using dietary supplements most often ignore the mode of action of these products and generally say they are not informed.

In 2015, at the West Cancerology Institute (ICO), 5 patient files were analyzed taking this type of treatment in addition to chemotherapy; in 2016, 24 files; 2017, 61 patient records and this continues to progress.

At the same time, a product appears very frequently associated with cancer chemotherapy: Desmodium Adscendens, an African plant with in vitro properties of liver protector. The Desmodium contains triterpene saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols, and tryptamine derivatives.

Morevover, several situations of patients undergoing chemotherapy and taking long-term Desmodium, with hepatic cytolyses were experienced, not explained by the usual treatments (case described in the literature).

Therefore, this study will evaluate these new therapeutic modalities that are included in the intake of chemotherapy in order to better know them to improve the therapeutic taking of patients and to focus on the impact of Desmodium in association with chemotherapy.