Objective: Cisplatin, a widely used chemotherapeutic agent, is widely used in cancer treatment, but its clinical application is limited by nephrotoxicity. Curcumin, a natural polyphenol with antioxidant properties, may mitigate cisplatin-induced kidney damage. This study evaluated the protective effects of curcumin in cancer patients undergoing cisplatin chemotherapy.
Materials and Methods: This study was designed as a randomized controlled trial, and 50 cancer patients were assigned to either an intervention group receiving 500 mg/day standardized turmeric extract capsules for nine weeks or a control group receiving a placebo, alongside standard chemotherapy. Renal markers including serum creatinine (Cr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), magnesium (Mg), and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were measured pre- and post-intervention. Data were analyzed using ANCOVA adjusting for baseline values.
Results: Post-intervention analysis showed notable differences between the intervention and control groups in Cr (p=0.01), Mg (p<0.001), and GFR (p=0.001) levels, with improvements observed in the intervention group. However, BUN values showed no considerable difference (p=0.71). In the intervention group, intragroup comparisons indicated substantial reductions in Cr (p=0.001) and increases in Mg (p<0.001) and GFR (p<0.001). Conversely, in the control group, Cr (p=0.001) and BUN (p=0.007) levels showed a significant increase, while Mg (p=0.001) increased slightly, and GFR levels decreased markedly (p<0.001).
Conclusion: While the findings indicate that curcumin supplementation may offer some protective effects against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity, the limited sample size of this trial warrants caution in interpreting these results. Additional studies involving larger and more heterogeneous cohorts are required to confirm these results and determine the clinical relevance of curcumin in this setting.