Ohnishi S, et al. J Gynecol Oncol. 2017 Mar;28(5):e44. https://doi.org/10.3802/jgo.2017.28.e44

Anthracyclines and taxanes are often used as first-line chemotherapy treatments in patients with breast cancer. There are, however, significant toxicity and side effects associated with these therapies. Previous studies have demonstrated that active hexose-correlated compound (AHCC) reduces such side effects. The present study explored the beneficial effects of AHCC on adverse events in patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. Forty-one women who were treated with anthracyclines and taxanes at Nagumo Clinic in Tokyo from October 2004 to March 2011 were selected for this study. We compared the occurrence of adverse events in patients who received AHCC with those who did not receive AHCC. Using Fisher's exact tests, we also compared the worst-grade adverse events in each treatment cycle. Generalized estimating equations were employed to compare longitudinal changes, and the use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, in the two groups was analyzed using Student's t-test. We found that, compared to the control group, the AHCC group had significantly fewer neutrophil-related events (odds ratio, 0.30; p=0.016), significantly lower use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and a higher (although not significant) rate of adverse events associated with γ-glutamyl transpeptidase. AHCC has the potential to reduce the severity of neutropenia induced by breast cancer chemotherapy and the use of G-CSF during chemotherapy.

Although the pathogenesis and management of Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS) have been discussed in the literature, only a few studies have examined the effects of trigger point injection (TPI) on MPS or opioid dosage in patients with cancer. We evaluated changes in numeric rating scale (NRS) scores and opioid dosage, along with the duration of opioid use, nutritional status, and the types of cancer and metastases in patients with cancer and MPS who received TPI, to evaluate its clinical significance. Data were collected retrospectively from 20 inpatients with cancer and MPS who received TPI for pain management from the palliative care team between April 2018 and January 2020. TPI improved NRS scores in several cases and reduced opioid dosage. Notably, long-term opioid users (up to 336 days) also experienced improvements in NRS scores and discontinued opioids. TPI is an effective intervention for managing MPS in patients with cancer and may help prevent unnecessary escalation of opioid therapy, reducing the associated risks of side effects and dependency.