Trial reportThe Journal of nutrition2019
Curcumin Combined with FOLFOX Chemotherapy Is Safe and Tolerable in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer in a Randomized Phase IIa Trial.
Trial report in The Journal of nutrition, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01490996 (A Phase I/IIa Study Combining Curcumin), which is not on this map. Cited by 156 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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.
A Phase I/IIa Study Combining Curcumin (Curcumin C3-Complex, Sabinsa) With Standard Care FOLFOX Chemotherapy in Patients With Inoperable Colorectal Cancer.
Who cites it
156 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 227 citations in OpenAlex.
- Therapeutic potentials of plant‑based antioxidants on colorectal cancer: Challenges and perspectives (Review).International journal of oncology · 2025Pooled it
- Assessing iIndications for herbal medicinal products: a comparative analysis of EMA monographs and database records.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2025Pooled it
- Curcumin as a complementary treatment in oncological therapy: a systematic review.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- Polyphenols in the Prevention and Treatment of Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review of Clinical Evidence.Nutrients · 2024Pooled it
- How to Balance Prognostic Factors in Controlled Phase II Trials: Stratified Permuted Block Randomization or Minimization? An Analysis of Clinical Trials in Digestive Oncology.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2024Pooled it
- Combination Chemotherapy with Selected Polyphenols in Preclinical and Clinical Studies-An Update Overview.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Preventing Colitis-Associated Colon Cancer With Antioxidants: A Systematic Review.Cellular and molecular gastroenterology and hepatology · 2021Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Recent advancements in NRF2-regulated ferroptosis modulation for targeted cancer therapy.Molecular biology reports · 2026Review
- The logarithmic phase as a therapeutic direction: evaluating pharmacological strategies against cancer progression.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2026Review
- Natural Plant Bioactives as Regulators of Histone Modifications: Bridging Epigenetics and Anticancer Therapy.Phytotherapy research : PTR · 2026Review
- Celastrol at the obesity-cancer interface: critical appraisal of molecular mechanisms, preclinical evidence, and translational barriers.Molecular biology reports · 2026Review
- Natural Products in Cancer Research: Mechanistic Advances, Translational Challenges, and the Emerging Role of Chilean Biodiversity.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Curcumin as a Synergy Amplifier in Cancer Therapy.Pharmaceutics · 2026Review
- From Signaling Pathways to Combination Therapy: Bioactive Compounds against Cancer Stem Cells.Stem cell reviews and reports · 2026Review
- Natural bioactive molecules and chemotherapeutics synergism for enhanced cancer therapy.Nutrition & metabolism · 2026Review
- Smart nanoparticle delivery systems for curcumin: a targeted strategy to enhance anticancer efficacy and bioavailability.Journal of materials science. Materials in medicine · 2026Review
- Targeting Cancer Stem Cells with Phytochemicals: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential.Biomedicines · 2026Review
- Integrative oncology in colorectal cancer: evidence-based strategies from prevention through survivorship.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Review
96 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundCurcumin is the main active ingredient of the spice turmeric, investigated extensively for putative anticancer properties.
objectivesThis phase IIa open-labelled randomized controlled trial aimed to assess safety, efficacy, quality of life, neurotoxicity, curcuminoids, and C-X-C-motif chemokine ligand 1 (CXCL1) in patients receiving folinic acid/5-fluorouracil/oxaliplatin chemotherapy (FOLFOX) compared with FOLFOX + 2 g oral curcumin/d (CUFOX).
methodsTwenty-eight patients aged >18 y with a histological diagnosis of metastatic colorectal cancer were randomly assigned (1:2) to receive either FOLFOX or CUFOX. Safety was assessed by Common Toxicity Criteria-Adverse Event reporting, and efficacy via progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Quality of life and neurotoxicity were assessed using questionnaires (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-C30 and Functional Assessment of Cancer Treatment-Gynecologic Oncology Group-Neurotoxicity). Plasma curcuminoids were determined with liquid chromatography (LC) electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry and CXCL1 by ELISA.
resultsAddition of daily oral curcumin to FOLFOX chemotherapy was safe and tolerable (primary outcome). Similar adverse event profiles were observed for both arms. In the intention-to-treat population, the HR for PFS was 0.57 (95% CI: 0.24, 1.36; P = 0.2) (median of 171 and 291 d for FOLFOX and CUFOX, respectively) and for OS was 0.34 (95% CI: 0.14, 0.82; P = 0.02) (median of 200 and 502 d for FOLFOX and CUFOX, respectively). There was no significant difference between arms for quality of life (P = 0.248) or neurotoxicity (P = 0.223). Curcumin glucuronide was detectable at concentrations >1.00 pmol/mL in 15 of 18 patients receiving CUFOX. Curcumin did not significantly alter CXCL1 over time (P = 0.712).
conclusionCurcumin is a safe and tolerable adjunct to FOLFOX chemotherapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01490996 and at www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu as EudraCT 2011-002289-19.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.