Chinese Medicine For Chemotherapy Side Effects Under Study At UCSF

A traditional Chinese herbal formula's effectiveness in alleviating side effects of adjuvant breast cancer chemotherapy will be evaluated in a study now accruing patients at the University of California at San Francisco's Osher Center for Integrative Medicine.

The principal investigator of the project, UCSF's Debasish Tripathy, "is collaborating with TCM [traditional Chinese medicine] practitioners in the East Bay and San Francisco to develop a Chinese herbal formula to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy," a study description states. Typical side effects include nausea, low white blood cell count and fatigue.

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial will examine "toxicities and efficacy associated with this Chinese herbal therapy," the description notes, adding: "This is a crucial first step to integrating TCM, where effective, into the standard care for breast cancer patients."

The study, which plans to enroll 60 patients, is a joint effort between the Osher Center (OCIM) and UCSF Stanford Health Care's Carol Franc Buck Breast Cancer Center.

The trial is one of 10 research projects to be conducted at OCIM, which was dedicated Sept. 25. The center conducts research on "the effectiveness and value" of complementary and alternative medicine therapies, according to the center's mission statement.

Another OCIM research project is an initiative to develop "a longitudinal cohort registry of traditional Chinese medicine for breast cancer" to enable an eventual comparison of "the progression, rate of recurrence and survival time of patients using TCM to those women who are not." UCSF's Tripathy is leading the project.

In addition, Tripathy serves as principal investigator for two other center initiatives. One project will examine Tibetan herbs as a treatment for advanced-stage breast cancer and the other will explore the effectiveness of acupuncture bands in reducing "nausea and vomiting in women undergoing high-dose chemotherapy."

An additional project will assess the potential impact of lifestyle changes on prostate cancer. The study is a collaborative initiative with the UCSF department of urology and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

The randomized, controlled trial aims to "determine if prostate cancer may be reversible by making comprehensive changes in diet and lifestyle, without surgery, radiation or drug (hormonal) treatments," according to a project summary. The principal investigator is UCSF's Dean Ornish.

The center was established with a $10 mil. grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation and two $1.1 mil. awards from the UCSF School of Medicine and the UCSF Stanford Health Care Center. OCIM's interim director is UCSF's Ellen Hughes.

OCIM researchers will "examine the value of integrative medicine and rigorously study the effectiveness of nontraditional therapies," according to a university document. The center also will "focus on integrating nontraditional approaches to medical care into UCSF's educational curriculum" and "disseminate information on the efficacy of integrative medicine to the public and the medical community."

A new NIH Office of Alternative Medicine strategic plan was discussed at a recent meeting of the OAM advisory council in Bethesda, Md..

"Funding targets for OAM initiatives over the next five years will heavily emphasize the support of new research and research training," the document states. The five-year plan designates "75% of OAM resources to go for centers, research initiatives such as clinical trials, NIH [institute and center] research grant co-funding and research training support."

"Approximately 20% of the office's resources will be devoted to providing public information, technical assistance and field investigations, database and literature evaluations and international activities. The remaining 5% will be for research management to support the office's activities," the plan adds.

OAM would see a sizable boost in funding and would be given center status if language in the FY 1999 NIH appropriations conference report is retained when Congress votes on the omnibus spending bill (see preceding story).