Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40315249›Full record

Trial reportPloS one2025

Exploratory outcomes of the DHA WIN randomized controlled trial: Supplementing women with docosahexaenoic acid did not reduce the impact of neoadjuvant breast cancer chemotherapy on quality of life or exercise behaviour.

Claire M Douglas, Marnie Newell, Susan Goruk, Kerry S Courneya, Sunita Ghosh, Anil A Joy, Jaqueline Munhoz, Catherine J Field

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03831178 (Docosahexaenoic Acid), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT03831178 phase2active not recruitingnot on this map

Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) for Women With Breast Cancer in the Neoadjuvant Setting

TypeinterventionalSponsorAHS Cancer Control AlbertaRan2019 to 2030Enrolled76ConditionsBreast CancerArmsDocosahexaenoic acid (DHA), Placebo oral capsule
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Claire M DouglasDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Marnie NewellDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Susan GorukDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Kerry S CourneyaFaculty of Kinesiology, Sport and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Sunita GhoshDepartment of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Anil A JoyDepartment of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Jaqueline MunhozDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Catherine J FieldDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7285-4767

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Supplementation of omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids has been associated with reduced side effects and improved quality of life (QoL) in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. The current study reports secondary outcomes from the DHA WIN randomized controlled trial which was designed to evaluate docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation (4.4 g/day) in conjunction with six cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) (3 weeks/cycle) in women with non-metastatic breast cancer (n = 49). The objective of the current study was to assess the effects of DHA supplementation on QoL and exercise behaviour in women undergoing NAC for breast cancer. Self-administered questionnaires were used to measure QoL and exercise behaviour before starting chemotherapy (baseline), before each chemotherapy cycle (exercise), and after completing chemotherapy. DHA supplementation did not significantly affect QoL, aerobic exercise volume or resistance training frequency during treatment. However, mean aerobic exercise volume was significantly lower at week 12 (-53.5 minutes/week; 95% CI, -100.5 to -6.3; p = 0.02) and week 18 (-70.8 minutes/week; 95% CI, -123.0 to -18.6; p = 0.01) compared to baseline. Mean resistance training frequency was lower at week 12 (-0.57 times/week; 95% CI, -1.0 to -0.13; p = 0.02) compared to baseline. Meeting exercise guidelines during chemotherapy was not associated with better QoL. In the current exploratory study, QoL and exercise decreased during treatment regardless of DHA supplementation, highlighting the need for supportive care and potential therapies that may mitigate these declines in breast cancer patients receiving NAC. Adequately powered studies are needed to determine if DHA supplementation improves these two indices of health. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03831178).

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsDietary SupplementsDocosahexaenoic AcidsExerciseNeoadjuvant TherapyQuality of LifeAdultAgedFemaleHumansMiddle AgedTreatment OutcomeDocosahexaenoic Acids

Identifiers

PMID40315249
PMCPMC12047813

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.