Alternative and Complementary Therapies for Cancer: Integrative Approaches and Discovery of Conventional Drugs

717 Pages·2010·4.06 MB·English

by  Moulay Alaoui-Jamali

Alternative and Complementary
Therapies for Cancer

Moulay Alaoui-Jamali
Editor
Alternative and
Complementary
Therapies for Cancer
Integrative Approaches and
Discovery of Conventional Drugs
1 3
Editor
MoulayAlaouiJamali
DepartmentsofMedicineand
Oncology,andPharmacologyand
Therapeutics
FacultyofMedicine,McGillUniversity
Montreal,Canada
[email protected]
ISBN9781441900197 eISBN9781441900203
DOI10.1007/9781441900203
SpringerNewYorkDordrechtHeidelbergLondon
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2010931765
#SpringerScienceþBusinessMedia,LLC2010
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This book is dedicated to patients,
doctors,andscientistsdealingwith
life-threatening cancers with
courage, determination, and hope.

Preface
Cancerisadevastatingdiseasewithasevereimpactonthephysical
and psychological well being of patients. The diagnosis of cancer
brings many questions starting with diagnosis, decision on treat-
ment, and the prospect of living with the constant possibility of
recurrence. To date, only limited therapeutic options are available
formostadvancedcancers,andinmanycases,thefive-yearsurvival
rate remains difficulttoachieveeven withthebesttherapiesavail-
able in the practice. Patients often seek clear and simple answers,
which are not always provided by modern medicine. This often
leads patients to shift attention to alternative therapies, including
theholisticapproachofalternativemedicine,particularlyprepara-
tionsfromherbalproducts,whichhaveformedthebasisfortradi-
tional medicine for thousands of years. Indeed, most ancient
civilizations document the use of traditional medicine to treat a
varietyofillnessesandinfectionsandhavecontributedtotheassim-
ilation,codification,anddevelopmentofplant-basedformulations.
Notsurprising,asignificantnumberofnaturallyderiveddrugsare
alreadyinuseinoncologypractice,andherbalproductscontinueto
offer opportunities for creative discovery of novel bioactive mole-
cules and drugs, an area that is becoming a mainstream research
approachbothinacademicresearchlaboratoriesandlargebiophar-
maceuticalfirms.
Today, the use of herbal and nonherbal products for medical
purposeiswidespreadworldwide,andcontinuesasadistinctbranch
ofmedicalpracticeinmanypartsoftheworld,andparticularlyin
Chinawhereitisintegratedintothepublichealthcaresystem.Inthe
vii
viii Preface
Western world, the use of alternative therapies is gaining ground,
especiallytraditionalChineseandIndianmedicine,whichrepresent
some of the favored adjunctive therapies and are mostcompatible
with conventional therapies although having distinct concepts.
Typically, herbal formulations contain single or multiple active
pharmacological components, as well as non-herbal ingredients.
Yetmostremainclassifiedasfoodsupplementsandthusareexempt
from regulations on quality control and proof of efficacy that
governstandardpharmaceuticals.Althoughtheirpotentialbenefit
cannotbedenied,currentscientificandclinicalstudiesusingalter-
nativetherapiesareinconsistentandwithconflictingclinicalresults.
Herbalpreparationsandformulationsareavailableinthemarket,
easilyaccessible,andwidelyusedbycancerpatientsbefore,during,
or after treatment. Even when patients inform their mainstream
doctors of such use, the significance is not always obvious as the
field remains anewterritory forconventionalmedical curriculain
Western medicine. In the absence of rigorous clinical studies and
regulatoryguidelines,thedilemmainclinicalpracticeremainshow
to evaluate the efficacy of mixed formulations by determining the
surroundingsafetyconcerns,thepossibilityofanunjustifiableeco-
nomicburdentopatients,andthegeneralrisksoftheirinterfering
withorexacerbatingthetoxicityofstandardtherapies.
Fromascientificperspective,thecentralobviousboundariesof
the coexistence of nonconventional therapies with conventional
practice are methodological issues relevant to the complex nature
of complementary medicine, lack of rigourous and fragmented
clinical trials, proof of efficacy, and legal standards that govern
standardpharmaceuticalsinmodernoncology.Thesecanrepresent
the dark corners for cynical, misguided, and hegemonious use, or
even harmful exploitative use of alternative therapies. With the
emergence of several government-supported agencies to launch
initiatives to find and support both basic and applied research on
alternative therapies, and to increase regulatory guidelines and
policies,suchboundarieswilllikelyevolveintobeneficialintegrative
practice.
Thisbookwasputtogetherbyeminentandrecognizedexpertsin
alternative medicine, medical oncology, cancer pharmacology,
safety and regulatory issues, and modern cancer research. It is
dedicated primarily to the medical community, health care
Preface ix
providers, and to medical students. It brings a set of timely, in-
depth,andup-to-datereviewscoveringtheprogressandlimitations
of conventional cancer therapies, the latest developments in alter-
native cancer management from clinical and regulatory perspec-
tives, and practical recommendations for health care providers.
EminenttraditionaloncologyexpertsfromChinaandIndiaoutline
thetheoryoftraditionalmedicine,patternidentification,andtreat-
mentprinciplesofvariouscancertypes,andcommonformulations
used in large oncology centers in China and India. Areas of con-
troversyandpotentialintegrationintoconventionaloncologyprac-
tice are highlighted and updated. In this respect, the benefit of
alternativemedicinetoalleviatesideeffectsofsomechemotherapy
drugsorrelatedpainisaddressedinseparatechapters.Inaddition
to the clinical aspect, the book aacknowledges the importance of
chemicaldiversityofherbalproductsfordrugdiscoveryinthenew
era of targeted therapy. Natural products will continue to be a
precioussourceofdrugdevelopmentwellintothefuture,nowthat
greatprogressingenomicsandproteomicsopenupnewterritoryin
termsofnoveltargetsassociatedwiththeonsetofthedisease.Inthis
regard,thebookhighlightsprogressinthechemistryandbiologyof
high-throughputchemicallibrariesfromnaturalproducts.
Montreal,QC MoulayAlaoui-Jamali