ArticleBreast cancer research and treatment2024
The anti-proliferative effects of a frankincense extract in a window of opportunity phase ia clinical trial for patients with breast cancer.
Article in Breast cancer research and treatment, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic review and network meta-analysis of the effects of plant active substance on quality of life in breast cancer patients.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- Formulation Strategies for Immunomodulatory Natural Products in 3D Tumor Spheroids and Organoids: Current Challenges and Emerging Solutions.Pharmaceutics · 2025Review
- Article
- Window-of-opportunity trials to screen effective agents and optimize dose in breast cancer prevention.NPJ breast cancer · 2025Review
- Therapeutic applications of natural products in the management of venous diseases: a comprehensive review.Inflammopharmacology · 2025Review
- Anti-Tumor Potential of Frankincense Essential Oil and Its Nano-Formulation in Breast Cancer: An In Vivo and In Vitro Study.Pharmaceutics · 2025Article
- Article
- Assessment of the Feasibility of Objective Parameters as Primary End Points for Patients Affected by Knee Osteoarthritis: Protocol for a Pilot, Open Noncontrolled Trial (:SMILE:).JMIR research protocols · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
purposeBoswellic acids, active components of frankincense, suppress tumor proliferation in vitro with a strong clinical trial safety profile in patients with inflammatory diseases. We performed a Phase Ia window of opportunity trial of Boswellia serrata (B. serrata) in patients with breast cancer to evaluate its biologic activity and safety.
methodsPatients with invasive breast cancer were treated pre-operatively with B. Serrata (2400 mg/day PO) until the night before surgery for a median of 11 days (SD 6 days; range: 5-23 days). Paraffin-embedded sections from pretreatment diagnostic core biopsies and post-treatment surgical excisions were evaluated using a tunnel assay and immunohistochemistry staining with Ki-67 antibodies. A non-intervention retrospective control arm consisting of core and surgical tissue specimens from untreated patients was used to compare patients treated with B. Serrata. The change in proliferation and apoptosis between diagnostic core specimens and surgical specimens was compared between the control and treatment groups using a two-tailed paired t-test.
resultsTwenty-two patients were enrolled, of which 20 received treatment, and 18 had sufficient tissue for IHC. There was an increase in percent change in proliferation from core biopsy to surgical excision in the control group (n = 18) of 54.6 ± 21.4%. In the B. serrata-treated group there was a reduction in proliferation between core biopsy and excision (n = 18) of 13.8 ± 11.7%. This difference was statistically significant between the control and B. serrata-treated groups (p = 0.008). There was no difference in change in apoptosis. There were no serious adverse events related to the drug.
conclusionBoswellia serrata inhibited breast cancer proliferation and was well-tolerated in a Phase Ia window of opportunity trial.
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