ArticleIndian journal of palliative care
The Efficacy of Oral Melatonin in Improving Sleep in Cancer Patients with Insomnia: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study.
Article in Indian journal of palliative care. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- Proposal for Managing Cancer-Related Insomnia: A Systematic Literature Review of Associated Factors and a Narrative Review of Treatment.Cancer medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Interventions for insomnia in cancer patients and survivors-a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis.JNCI cancer spectrum · 2024Pooled it
- Guideline
- Pooled it
- Adverse Events Associated with Melatonin for the Treatment of Primary or Secondary Sleep Disorders: A Systematic Review.CNS drugs · 2019Pooled it
- Efficacy of an Oral Melatonin Suspension in Idiopathic Nocturnal Irritability among Infants Older than 6 Months: A Randomized, Single-blind, Quasi-experimental Trial.Journal of research in pharmacy practice · 2026Article
- Adjuvant melatonin therapy during exercise prescription in breast cancer survivors on physical and anthropometric parameters, quality of life, and hormonal response. A randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Article
- Significance of Melatonin in the Regulation of Circadian Rhythms and Disease Management.Molecular neurobiology · 2024Review
- Insomnia among Cancer Patients in the Real World: Optimising Treatments and Tailored Therapies.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Review
- Study of the Effects of Melatonin on Sleep Disorders in Pulmonary Sarcoidosis Patients.Iranian journal of pharmaceutical research : IJPR · 2022Article
- A combined treatment with melatonin and andrographis promotes autophagy and anticancer activity in colorectal cancer.Carcinogenesis · 2022Article
- Melatonin in Cancer Treatment: Current Knowledge and Future Opportunities.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- The Palliative Care of Patients With Incurable Cancer.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2020Article
- Management of side effects during and post-treatment in breast cancer survivors.The breast journal · 2018Review
- Poor Quality Control of Over-the-Counter Melatonin: What They Say Is Often Not What You Get.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2017Article
- Comparison Between Efficacy of Oral Melatonin and Oral L-theanine in Improving Sleep in Cancer Patients Suffering From Insomnia: A Randomised Double-blinded Placebo-controlled Study.Indian journal of palliative careArticle
- Why is cancer becoming a global endemic today?International journal of health sciencesArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe natural hormone melatonin has sleep inducing properties. Insomnia in cancer patients is common. So far, melatonin has been seldom tried for the improvement of sleep in patients with malignancies. Keeping this in mind, we planned and conducted a double-blind study to test the efficacy of melatonin in promoting sleep in patients with malignancies suffering from insomnia.
objectiveTo assess the hypnotic efficacy of oral melatonin in cancer patients with insomnia. MATERIALS AND
methodsAfter Ethical Committee approval, 50 patients (age range 20-65 years) from our pain clinic NIVARANE who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4(th) edition criteria for primary insomnia were randomized to receive melatonin 3 mg or placebo at 7 pm orally every day for 14 days from our pharmacist. After 1, 7, 14 days, the patients were reviewed with the Athens insomnia scale oral questionnaire to document the subjective sleep quality. The patients and we, the investigators were blinded to the study drug.
resultsThere were 2 drop outs (one from each group) as they failed to complete visit on day 14. Significant differences in favor of melatonin treatment were found in clinically relevant improvements in insomnia (46.53%; P = 0.00001 vs. 11.30%; P = 0.1026) There was improvement in sleep from 1 to 7 days (19.91%; P = 0.00001 vs. 0.98%; P = 0.2563). More significant improvements were seen between 7 and 14 days (33.24%; P = 0.00001 vs. 10.42%; P = 0.1469).
conclusionWe conclude that daily intake of oral melatonin 2 h before bedtime improves sleep induction and quality in cancer patients with insomnia.
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