Indian Medicine Can Improve Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Patients: Case Studies

Introduction

Most cancer patients who have been diagnosed and are undergoing treatment, report that they have difficulty in sleeping, feel depressed, and have a poor quality of life (QoL). The World Health Organization (WHO) defines quality of life as “an individual’s perception of their position in life in relation to their goals, expectations, standards, and concerns in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live.” It includes subjective evaluations of both positive and negative aspects of life [1]. Many nations, including India, suggest using nutritional and herbal supplements with medicinal properties as adjunct therapy for cancer patients [2]. There are also scientific evidences and clinical trial reports of using herbal formulations on cancers. Some of the marketed Indian medicines for cancers are Varunadi Ghritha for head and neck cancer [3], HUMA for oral cancer [4], HC-9 for breast cancer [5], BASANT for cervical cancer [6] and Body Revival to all cancers [7].

Breast cancer is the most prevalent types of cancer in India, accounting for 12.5% of all new registered cases [8]. The usual course of treatment for breast cancer is surgery, which is then followed by various treatment combinations like chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and hormone therapy. Chemotherapy medications have serious side effects, including anorexia, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, hot flashes, headache, dyspnea, skin rash, fever, back pain, muscle cramps, fatigue, vertigo, and edema. To the best of our knowledge, there are very few studies examining the QoL of Indian breast cancer patients employing herbal supplements; hence, this questionnaire based case report was conducted to find out the QoL of breast cancer patients who were consuming voluntarily Body Revival.

Materials and Methods

This case study was carried out during June 2022 to August 2022, among 5 breast cancer patients, diagnosed to be in Stage II-IV and who used Body Revival voluntarily. The adult participants were selected randomly from the registered of patients to continuously use Body Revival medicine through online for at least 6 months. QoL-tool designed and validated by Latha, et al. [9] was used through telecommunications (telephone/Internet). Present tool has 20 structured items, including 4 negative (score 4 to 1) and 16 positive (score 1 to 4) questions with a maximum total score of 80. QoL of breast cancer patients was categorized into five according to scoring pattern: very high (above 60), high (59-50), average (49-36), low (35-27) and very low (below 27). The respond of breast cancer patient to individual question was marked and recorded in the prescribed format by the rater (physicians) over telecommunication after receiving their verbal consent for their willingness to participate. Moreover, demographic information, including age, gender, height, weight, cancer stage, and treatment, as well as the duration of Body Revival use, were taken. The collected information from the allotted questions was analysed statistically using SPSS software (version 20; IBM, Chicago, USA). Categorical variables were presented as frequencies. Qol score was presented as mean and standard deviation (SD) and statistically analysed by single t-test and 95% Confidence Interval. P-value ≤0.05 was considered significant.

Results and Discussion

The present case study was done in 5 breast cancer patients. Table 1 describes the demographic details of selected breast cancer participants. The average age group was 48.6 yrs. Majority of them suffered from cancer for more than 12 months from stage IV with metastasis. Chemotherapy was used in 4 patients and surgery with chemotherapy was done in 3 patients.

Table 2 describes the QoL details of 5 breast cancer participants with t-test and 95% Confidence Interval. In this case series there were significant (p<0.001) improvement in QoL life of breast cancer patients who were using Body Revival supplement. Body Revival is composed with nine natural ingredients including water extract of Aegle marmelos fruit pulp (150 mg), Acorus calamus rhizome (175 mg), Withania somnifera root (325 mg), Blumea lacera fruit (115 mg), Rumex vesicarius whole plant (240 mg), Rubia cordifolia root (200 mg), Cucumis melo seed (200 mg), Symplocos racemosa stem bark (95 mg) and honey (Q.s). Body Revival therapy unquestionably reported to better the health condition in general and mental disabilities and illness due to weak immune circumstances by modulating signalling pathways or/and cellular functions [7, 10].

Compared to the general community, cancer patients typically have a lower quality of life. Multidimensional types of patient-reported outcomes are perceived by patients that encompass their social, financial, psychosocial, and physical activities [11]. Moreover, in many cases, breast cancer patients experience loss of appetite, pain, muscular cramps, exhaustion, sleep disturbances, depression, and a poor quality of life after being diagnosed and treated for cancer. The present study assessed QoL in patients after receiving the Body Revival supplement to enhance health benefits as a prognostic medical factor and predict survival. Although, no participant gained sufficient scores to qualify for the very high QoL category, however, all of them reported (Figure 1) average quality of life (total score 45-49). Hence, by combining Body Revival supplements with regular medical care, breast cancer patients may be better able to manage their unpleasant symptoms, take control of their illness and medical care, and live healthier lives.

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Conclusion

From the case reports, it may be concluded that Body Revival supplements taken during conventional therapy and palliative care can improve the quality of life of breast cancer patients. To confirm the current outcomes, further investigation is needed.