|
 
 |
| LETTER TO THE EDITOR |
|
| Year : 2018 | Volume
: 14
| Issue : 10 | Page : 821 |
|
Tian Xian Liquid: Is it a really effective anticancer dietary supplement?
Beuy Joob1, Viroj Wiwanitkit2
1 Sanitation 1 Medical Academic Center, Bangkok, Thailand
2 Department of Tropical Medicine, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| Date of Web Publication | 24-Sep-2018 |
Correspondence Address:
Beuy Joob
Sanitation 1 Medical Academic Center, Bangkok
Thailand
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/0973-1482.183183
How to cite this article:
Joob B, Wiwanitkit V. Tian Xian Liquid: Is it a really effective anticancer dietary supplement?. J Can Res Ther 2018;14, Suppl S3:821 |
Sir,
The use of anticancer dietary supplement is a new trend in cancer management at present. There are many new products that are claimed for the effectiveness. However, it is necessary to verify for their effectiveness. Of several products, Tian Xian Liquid (TXL) is an interesting product from China that is mentioned for its immunomodulatory efficacy that can be helpful for management of cancer.[1],[2],[3],[4] Hence, it is widely used as a dietary supplementation by Chinese patients. Chu et al. reported on “the anti-proliferative mechanism of TXL.”[1] It is estimated that several thousand patients in more than 30 countries around the world used TXL as supplementation therapy to standard treatment (TXL is not indicated for used as sole therapy). Nevertheless, it is still controversial that TXL is actual useful or not. At present, TXL is available as dietary supplementary product in many countries, and the patient might select to use it. Here, the authors report experience on a case study of secondary liver cancer patients who lose follow-up from standard cancer management for 3 months and use solely TXL supplementation. Of interest, when the patient returned to normal visit by the standard cancer management, the seriously deterioration of liver function and significantly increased alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) could be observed (AFP levels before and after loss follow-up were equal to 198.0 ng/ml and 957.7 ng/ml, respectively). It seems that TXL did nothing for the patient in the present case and might be useless. Nevertheless, this is only an observation; the proof of the actual effect of TXL required further standard study. In the era of many dietary supplements, it is necessary to have a strict control on those products and the health education to the patient is needed.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| > References | |  |
| 1. | Chu ES, Sze SC, Cheung HP, Wong KL, Liu Q, Ng TB, et al. Differential effects of anti-metastatic mechanism of Tian-Xian liquid (TXL) and its bioactive fractions on human colorectal cancer models. J Ethnopharmacol 2011;137:403-13.  |
| 2. | Sze SC, Wong KL, Liu WK, Ng TB, Wong JH, Cheung HP, et al. Regulation of p21, MMP-1, and MDR-1 expression in human colon carcinoma HT29 cells by Tian Xian liquid, a Chinese medicinal formula, in vitro and in vivo. Integr Cancer Ther 2011;10:58-69. |
| 3. | Liu Q, Tong Y, Sze SC, Liu WK, Lam L, Chu ES, et al. Tian Xian liquid (TXL) induces apoptosis in HT-29 colon cancer cell in vitro and inhibits tumor growth in vivo. Chin Med 2010;5:25. |
| 4. | Lichti-Kaiser K, Staudinger JL. The traditional Chinese herbal remedy tian xian activates pregnane X receptor and induces CYP3A gene expression in hepatocytes. Drug Metab Dispos 2008;36:1538-45. |
|
Search Pubmed for