Effect of an eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) —containing oral nutritional supplement in metastatic breast cancer patients

Abstract

[Purpose] Use of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids has been reported to be beneficial for cancer patients. We investigated the effect of an eicosapentaenoic acid-containing oral nutritional supplement (EPA-ONS) on the nutritional disorder accompanied with advanced cancer patients.
[Patients and methods] Nine patients with metastatic breast cancer received an EPA-ONS (600 kcal, 2,112 mg EPA /day) for three months and were assessed at 1, 2 and 3 month compared to baseline.
[Results] There were significant increases in body weight and muscle component at 1 month after the administration (p<0.05), but the increases in them were not found at 3 month. Serum leptin contents significantly increased at 1, 2 and 3 month (p<0.05).
[Conclusion] These results suggested that the provision of EPA-ONS may be effective against the cancerous nutritional status, in part.