Ginger Treatment For Cancer-Related Nausea and Vomiting
Name of the Trial
Phase II Randomized Study of
Ginger in Patients with Cancer and
Chemotherapy-Induced
Nausea and Vomiting
(CCUM-0201). See the
protocol summary at
http://cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/CCUM-0201.
Principal Investigator
Dr. Suzanna Zick, University of Michigan Integrative Medicine.
Why Is This Trial Important?
Nausea and vomiting are among
the most distressing and feared side
effects of cancer and cancer treatment.
Beyond being unpleasant, the
nausea and vomiting associated with
cancer and its treatment can lead to
serious and life-threatening complications,
such as nutritional depletion,
metabolic imbalance, esophageal
damage, expulsion of oral chemotherapy
agents, and withdrawal from
potentially curative treatment. Thus,
effective treatment for nausea and
vomiting is critical to the care of cancer
patients.
In this trial, researchers are testing
the ability of two different doses (lower
vs. higher) of the herb ginger to
treat delayed nausea and vomiting associated
with chemotherapy. Ginger
is believed to affect receptors in the
digestive tract for the neurotransmitter
serotonin. This action is similar to
conventional antinausea drugs.
"Ginger has been shown to be effective in a number of clinical trials
against nausea and vomiting associated
with motion sickness, pregnancy,
and postoperative recovery," said
Dr. Zick. "With this trial, we hope to
determine its efficacy and safety for
chemotherapy-induced
nausea and vomiting.
"We hope ginger will be
effective for patients who
continue to experience
delayed nausea and vomiting
despite treatment with
other antinausea drugs,"
Dr. Zick added.
Who Can Join This Trial?
Researchers seek to enroll 180 cancer
patients aged 18 or older who are
undergoing chemotherapy and have
experienced nausea or vomiting during
or following a previous treatment
cycle. See the full list of eligibility
criteria at http://cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/CCUM-0201.
Where Is This Trial Taking Place?
The study is being conducted at
sites in the United States through
the Community Clinical Oncology
Program (CCOP) and elsewhere. See
the list of study sites at http://cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/CCUM-0201.
Contact Information
For more information, see the list of
study contacts at http://cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/CCUM-0201 or call the
NCI's Cancer Information Service at
1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
This call is completely confidential.
An archive of "Featured Clinical Trial" columns is available at http://cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/ft-all-featured-trials.
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