However, patients should be encouraged to share this information because some herbal therapies can interfere with traditional treatments. Healthcare professionals must maintain an open dialogue with patients so that they are comfortable sharing their use of alternative therapies and because they have an obligation to learn about the functions of herbal remedies. Although clinical studies of the effects of herbs on cancer are lacking, some studies have shown that herbs can help to accelerate the death of cancer cells, cause early-stage cancer cells to revert to healthy form, or boost the immune system. Herbs also may help to slow the growth of new blood vessels that feed a tumor or help to reduce the toxicity of chemotherapy drugs. Experts stress that practitioners need sound scientific evidence that a compound is safe when making recommendations about herbs.
Herbal remedies can interfere with cancer treatment.
NYT Syndicate via InteliHealth Inc. January 11, 2000. A newly discovered gene may be related to the failure of tamoxifen therapy in some patients with breast cancer, according to two recent studies. Although half of women with low or intermediate levels of BCAR1 responded to tamoxifen, only one-third of women whose tumors contained high levels of the protein did. The researchers believe that measuring BCAR1 could provide useful information about the ability of breast cancers to respond to tamoxifen and about the overall prognosis of the disease.