ArticleJournal of nutrition and metabolism2022
Efficacy of Curcumin on Treating Cancer Anorexia-Cachexia Syndrome in Locally or Advanced Head and Neck Cancer: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Randomised Phase IIa Trial (CurChexia).
Article in Journal of nutrition and metabolism, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04208334 (A Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Randomized Trial Phase II Evaluating the Effect of Curcumin for Treatment of Cancer Anorexia-Cachexia Syndrome in Patients With Stage III-IV of Head and Neck Cancer), which is not on this map. Cited by 17 papers, 2 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 Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Randomized Trial Phase II Evaluating the Effect of Curcumin for Treatment of Cancer Anorexia-Cachexia Syndrome in Patients With Stage III-IV of Head and Neck Cancer
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Curcumin as a complementary treatment in oncological therapy: a systematic review.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Curcumin and Its Derivatives as Anticancer Agents in Head and Neck Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms and Preclinical Evidence.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Pathogenesis, Diagnostic Pathways, and New Therapeutic and Nutritional Strategies for Pancreatic Cancer-Associated Cachexia.Cancers · 2026Review
- NF-κB Signaling as a Central Driver of Cancer Cachexia.Cancers · 2026Review
- Cancer cachexia: molecular basis and therapeutic advances.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2026Review
- Review
- Strategies in the development of pro-oxidant therapy for oral squamous cell carcinoma: A scoping review.Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences · 2025Review
- Pharmacological effects, formulations, and clinical research progress of curcumin.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Review
- SARCOPENIA AND GASTROINTESTINAL CANCER: NUTRITIONAL APPROACH FOCUSING ON CURCUMIN SUPPLEMENTATION.Arquivos de gastroenterologia · 2025Review
- Curcumin: A Potential Weapon in the Prevention and Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer.ACS pharmacology & translational science · 2024Review
- Anti-tumor Effects of Polyphenols via Targeting Cancer Driving Signaling Pathways: A Review.Indian journal of clinical biochemistry : IJCB · 2024Review
- A Review of Nutraceuticals in Cancer Cachexia.Cancers · 2023Review
- Review
- Review
- Phytochemicals in Skeletal Muscle Health: Effects of Curcumin (fromPlants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Plants as a Source of Anticancer Agents: From Bench to Bedside.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome (CAS) is a significant comorbidity among all patients with cancer, increasing the mortality rate. Almost all patients with head and neck cancer experience this syndrome. CAS causes increased energy expenditure by increasing systemic inflammation and decreasing energy consumption due to anorexia. It leads to skeleton muscle breakdown and reduces the quality of life. Nutritional interventions and primary cancer treatment are the mainstays to manage this situation. However, a vicious cycle causes CAS to persist, especially in head and neck cancer, where tumour location and its treatment interfere with nutritional interventions. Curcumin shows anti-inflammatory effects, including modulated CAS in animal and in vitro studies. Objective: The study aimed to determine the effect of curcumin to treat cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome among current patients with locally advanced or advanced head and neck cancer. Methods: This constitutes a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase IIa study. Twenty patients with CAS in locally advanced or advanced head and neck cancer adequately nourished via a feeding tube were enrolled and randomised in a 1 : 1 ratio to receive oral curcumin (at a dose of 4000 mg daily) ( Result: There was a statistically significant benefit from curcumin on improving muscle mass compared with placebo (2.16% [95% confidence interval; CI, -0.75 to 5.07] vs. -3.82% [95% CI, -8.2 to 0.57]; Conclusion: The curcumin add-on resulted in a significant increase in muscle mass than standard nutritional support. Furthermore, it may improve and delay a decrease in the other body composition parameters, handgrip strength, and absolute lymphocyte count. Curcumin was safe and well tolerated. This constitutes an unmet need for clinical trials. This trial is registered with NCT04208334.
Identifiers
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.