WESTPORT, Feb 29 (Reuters Health) - Faster response to tamoxifen may be achieved by adding gamma linolenic acid (GLA) to the treatment of breast cancer patients. GLA is a polyunsaturated essential fatty acid found in borage and evening primrose oils. Dr. John F. R. Robertson, of the City Hospital in Nottingham, UK, and colleagues administered 2.8 g GLA per day in addition to 20 mg tamoxifen daily to 38 patients in a phase II trial. The control group comprised 47 patients who had previously received tamoxifen 20 mg daily and who were closely matched to the experimental group as to tumor type. "It became clinically noticeable early on in the study that a number of the [GLA-treated patients] were achieving a rapid response...evident by 6 weeks on treatment and maintained at 3 months," Dr. Robertson and colleagues write in the March 1st issue of the International Journal of Cancer. They report that after 6 months of treatment, 16% of those receiving GLA had no remaining palpable tumor, compared with 4% of controls. The researchers measured estrogen receptor expression in the subjects' tumor core biopsies and found that the combination treatment caused a greater reduction of estrogen receptor expression than that with tamoxifen alone. The findings are "consistent with the previously identified modulatory properties of polyunsaturated essential fatty acid metabolites on steroid hormone receptors in various animal tissues," the investigators write. This is the first description, however, of a down-regulatory effect of GLA on estrogen receptor expression in clinical breast cancer. The GLA was tolerated well, and in fact provided "a feeling of general well-being," plus a mild laxative effect that was welcomed by several of the elderly patients. The significantly faster clinical response compared with tamoxifen alone may decrease the period of waiting before the patient is reassured of the efficacy of treatment, Dr. Robertson's group suggests. "In addition, it may be possible to utilize this faster...response as a nontoxic option to conventional chemotherapy for the shrinkage of large tumors prior to surgery," the researchers add. Int J Cancer 2000;85:643-648. Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.