Micronutrients in Oncology

by Anya Sharma

The process of cancer treatments takes a huge toll on patients. Studies suggest that combining cancer therapies with certain micronutrients may help relive symptoms and in some cases aid tumor suppression and increase longevity. The effects of micronutrients on cancer therapies is a topic that does not get enough attention. While there are plenty studies that have evaluated the efficacy of cancer treatment when taken with different micronutrients, there are not any datasets that combine all these findings and present them in a clear manner. The average cancer patient should have an easy way to access and comprehend clinical trial data on all cancer topics, not just micronutrients. Read a full report of the project here.

Method

Data was collected from over 150 clinical trials which covered studies done on 13 different micronutrients, 18 different types of cancer, 11 different drugs, and patients on chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. Data was collected from sites such as PubMed, Research Gate, and NIH. A database was made in excel to outline the micronutrient, treatment type, cancer type, and effect on the patient of all the studies collected. Through analysis of the case data , effective micronutrients were identified along with the treatments they worked best with.

Results

For each micro nutrient, positive treatment interactions were identified as well as the specific effects they have on patients.



Micronutrients table

Models

After identifying trends, the data was modeled in Cytoscape to make the findings clear and presentable so that it is accessible to the average cancer patient. (click on image to view model)

Outlines the positive effects that micronutrients may have based on cancer type and treatment type.

Presents the possible effects that each micronutrient can have on cancer treatments.

Outline of the raw case data collected, each edge represents one study.

Sources


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The content of these pages was created by students for students with the help of educators and scientists. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF or ISB.