RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Flaxseed may help protect normal cells from the side effects of radiation therapy. PURPOSE: This randomized phase I trial is studying the side effects of flaxseed supplement in treating patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
OBJECTIVES: Primary * To assess the feasibility of dietary flaxseed (FS) supplementation in patients undergoing definitive chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. * To collect toxicity and tolerability data on dietary FS supplementation during definitive chemoradiotherapy. Secondary * To validate urinary and serum markers of oxidative stress and FS lignan levels as surrogates of the bioavailability of FS in these patients. * To determine if a dose response to daily ingestion of 20 g or 40 g of FS can be observed in plasma lignan levels and urinary markers of oxidative stress. OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms. * Arm I: Patients consume flaxseed muffins once or twice daily beginning on the first day of radiotherapy and continuing for up to 9-10 weeks. * Arm II: Patients consume placebo muffins once or twice daily beginning on the first day of radiotherapy and continuing for up to 9-10 weeks. Blood and urine samples are collected periodically for biomarker studies. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up for 1 month.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
48
Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Feasibility of dietary flaxseed (FS) supplementation
Toxicity and tolerability of dietary FS supplementation during chemoradiotherapy
Measures of biomarkers of oxidative stress
Measures of serum levels of FS metabolites
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