Fucoidan associated with quality-of-life benefits in patients with rectal cancer receiving CCRT

A randomised trial investigating oral supplement fucoidan in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) before surgery demonstrated quality-of-life benefits in terms of physical well-being and improved colorectal cancer subscale score in patients taking the long-chain sulphated polysaccharide.

Prof. Jaw-Yuan Wang (Pingtung Hospital, Taiwan) and colleagues randomised 87 patients with LARC receiving CCRT prior to surgery 1:1 to low molecular-weight fucoidan (LMF), 4 gr, oral administration, twice daily, or placebo [1]. Fucoidan algae extract is widely used as a food supplement. Quality-of-life was the primary outcome of the trial, which was assessed by comparing the FACT-C health-related quality-of-life mean scores of the 2 study groups.

Patients in the fucoidan group displayed a significantly higher score on the ‘physical well-being’ item of the questionnaire than patients in the placebo group (mean 23.27 vs 21.12; P=0.006). Furthermore, those who were exposed to fucoidan had an improved score on the ‘colorectal cancer subscale’ (mean 18.70 vs 16.53; P=0.034). Interestingly, rash or itching of the skin was less common in the fucoidan arm than in the placebo arm (0% vs 9.3%; P=0.038). Likewise, fatigue was less frequently reported in the experimental arm (75.0% vs 95.3%; P=0.008). Finally, Prof. Wang added that fucoidan was associated with an increase of the parabacteroides genus.

1. Wang J-Y, et al. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel study to investigate the auxiliary effects of fucoidan in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who receive neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy before surgery. Abstract 12, ASCO GI 2023, 19–21 January, San Francisco, CA, USA.

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Posted on 17 March, 2023