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NCT Number: NCT00383409

Multivitamins do Not Improve Radiation Therapy Related Fatigue

Multivitamins (MVi) are broadly used by cancer patients to improve overall health and energy. Fatigue is a common symptom in cancer patients including those receiving radiation therapy. We conducted a trial of MVi versus placebo in patients with breast cancer (BC) undergoing radiation therapy (Rxt) to evaluate if MVi would affect fatigue and quality of life. We randomized patients at the beginning of Rxt treatment to either placebo or Centrum Silver® (Wyeth-Whitehall laboratory). At the middle of the radiation treatments patients were switched from placebo to MVi and vice versa. Patients answered to the EORTC QLQ C-30 quality of life (QOL) and Chalder Fatigue Questionnaires at the beginning, the time of switching and at the end of Rxt. We found that both groups experienced significant decreases in general and physical fatigue at the end of the course of placebo compared to the assessment prior to this treatment. We also observed significant improvements in functional and symptoms in the patients on placebo. When we compared different groups of patients we also observed significantly lower rates of physical and general fatigue in the patients who had just finished a course of placebo as compared to patients finishing course of MVi. We conclude that MVi do not improve radiation related fatigue, and may in fact have a deleterious effect on fatigue and decrease QOL in patients with BC undergoing Rxt.

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Key information

Conditions

Breast Cancer Breast Diseases Breast Neoplasms Fatigue Neoplasms Neoplasms by Site Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms Skin Diseases Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases

Age range

18 year–75 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

Instituto de Radioterapia do ABC - Av. Portugal, 592 -

Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil

About this study

Multivitamins (MVi) are broadly used by cancer patients to improve overall health and energy. Fatigue is a common symptom in cancer patients including those receiving radiation therapy. We conducted a double blind randomized cross-over trial of MVi versus placebo in patients with breast cancer (BC) undergoing radiation therapy (Rxt) to evaluate if MVi would affect fatigue and quality of life. We randomized forty patients at the beginning of Rxt treatment to either placebo or Centrum Silver® (Wyeth-Whitehall laboratory). At the middle of the radiation treatments patients were switched from placebo to MVi and vice versa. Patients answered to the EORTC QLQ C-30 quality of life (QOL) and Chalder Fatigue Questionnaires at the beginning, the time of switching and at the end of Rxt. When we analyzed the same group of patients throughout the treatment periods, we found that both groups experienced significant decreases in general (p = 0.009; p = 0.001) and physical fatigue scores (p = 0.031; p = 0.029) at the end of the course of placebo compared to the assessment prior to this treatment. We also observed significant improvements in functional (p = 0.026) and symptoms (p = 0.016) score scales of the QOL questionnaire in the patients on placebo. No significant changes were elicited with the use of MVi. When we compared different groups of patients we also observed significantly lower rates of physical and general fatigue in the patients who had just finished a course of placebo as compared to patients finishing course of MVi (0 vs 25% p = 0.035 for both types of fatigue). We conclude that MVi do not improve radiation related fatigue, and may in fact have a deleterious effect on fatigue and decrease QOL in patients with BC undergoing Rxt. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • >18 years old
  • breast cancer who were to receive radiation therapy to the breast after a conservative surgery or after mastectomy

Exclusion criteria

  • previous history of radiation therapy,
  • chronic anemia,
  • depression
  • serious psychiatric disorders

Treatment and study plan

Multivitamins

Drug

Placebo

Drug

Primary outcomes

  1. fatigue

Secondary outcomes

  1. quality of life

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Faculdade de Medicina do ABC

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Multivitamins do Not Improve Radiation Therapy Related Fatigue: Results of a Double-Blind Randomized Cross-Over Trial

Important dates

Study start
2006
Study completion
2006
First posted
Oct 3, 2006
Registry last updated
Oct 3, 2006

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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