Lentinula edodes mycelia extract plus adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer patients: Results of a randomized study on host quality of life and immune function improvement

Abstract

Anthracycline-based chemotherapies for breast cancer are known to adversely affect patients' quality of life (QOL) and immune function. For that reason, adjuvants that improve those impairments are required. A randomized double-blind study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Lentinula edodes mycelia extract (LEM), which is an oral biological response modifier (BRM) medicine for cancer patients as such an adjuvant. A total of 47 breast cancer patients who were scheduled to receive postoperative adjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy, i.e., 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) + cyclophosphamide + epirubicin (FEC regimen), 5-FU + cyclophosphamide + doxorubicin/pirarubicin (FAC regimen), cyclophosphamide + doxorubicin/pirarubicin (AC regimen) and cyclophosphamide + epirubicin (EC regimen), were entered in the study. The patients were randomly divided into either an LEM or a placebo tablet group; the tablets were orally ingested daily over 2 courses of each therapy. In the placebo group, the total scores for QOL were lower on day 8 of the second course of chemotherapy compared with the baseline scores, whereas in the LEM group the scores had not decreased. In the placebo group, the QOL functional well-being score was lower on day 8 after both the first and second courses of chemotherapy compared with the baseline score, but it had not decreased in the LEM group. Evaluation of immunological parameters indicated that an increase in the proportion of regulatory T cells to peripheral blood CD4+ cells tended to be inhibited in the LEM group compared with the placebo group. Oral LEM that was coadministered with anthracycline-based chemotherapies was useful for maintaining patients' QOL and immune function. Thus, LEM appears to be a useful oral adjuvant for patients receiving anthracycline-based chemotherapy.

Novel Medicinal Mushroom Blend as a Promising Supplement in Integrative Oncology: A Multi-Tiered Study using 4T1 Triple-Negative Mouse Breast Cancer Model

“…Similarly, the concomitant use of mycelial L. edodes extract and oral immunomodulatory (REC75 therapy) can maintain host QoL and immune function [38]. An epidemiological study evaluating host QoL and immune function in BC patients co-administered with a combination of adjuvant chemotherapy and L. edodes mycelia extract supported the application of this extract as a useful oral adjuvant to anthracycline-based chemotherapies [39].…”

The attenuation effect of low piperine Piper nigrum extract on doxorubicin-induced toxicity of blood chemical and immunological properties in mammary tumour rats

“… 2005 ; Nagashima et al. 2013 , 2017 ; Sergazy et al. 2020 ), we tried to evaluate the effect of PFPE, which consisted of a variety of antioxidants and lowered the toxicity of piperine, in Dox-induced adverse events.…”

Preventing Recurrence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Curative Hepatectomy With Active Hexose-correlated Compound Derived From Lentinula edodes Mycelia

“… 12 In patients with breast cancer, who were scheduled to receive postoperative adjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy, administration of L. edodes mycelia extract maintained patients’ quality of life and immune function by inhibiting the increase in the proportion of regulatory T cells to peripheral CD4+ cells. 33 Intake of AHCC increased CD8+ T cell lymphocyte levels after 6 cycles of chemotherapy. 34 The antitumor effects of low-dose 5-fluorouracil were potentiated by AHCC in hepatoma 22 tumor-bearing mice through immunomodulation, such as increasing NK cell percentage.…”