TY - JOUR
T1 - Omega-3 fatty acid supplement skin cancer prophylaxis in lung transplant recipients
T2 - A randomized, controlled pilot trial
AU - Miura, Kyoko
AU - Vail, Andy
AU - Chambers, Daniel
AU - Hopkins, Peter M
AU - Ferguson, Lisa
AU - Grant, Michelle
AU - Rhodes, Lesley E
AU - Green, Adèle C
N1 - Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
PY - 2019/1
Y1 - 2019/1
N2 - BACKGROUND: Lung transplant recipients (LTRs) are at very high risk of skin cancer. Omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) are anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating and could potentially reduce this risk. We assessed the feasibility of omega-3 FA supplementation to reduce skin cancer among these patients.METHODS: LTRs aged 18+ years, at least 1 year post-transplant, were recruited from the outpatient clinic of The Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane. Participants were randomly allocated to 4-times-daily supplements containing either omega-3 FA (3.36 eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] + docosahexaenoic acid) or placebo (4 g olive oil) for 12 months. Primary outcomes were rates of recruitment, retention, adherence (assessed by plasma omega-3 FA), and safety. Secondary outcomes were incident skin cancers.RESULTS: Among 106 eligible lung transplant recipients, 49 consented to take part (46%) with 25 allocated to omega-3 FA and 24 to placebo supplements. Of these, 22 (88%) and 20 (83%), respectively, completed the trial. After 12 months, median plasma EPA increased substantially in the intervention group (125.0 to 340.0 µmol/L), but not the placebo group (98.0 to 134.5 µmol/L). In the intervention group, 6 patients developed skin cancers compared with 11 in the placebo group, giving an odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of 0.34 (0.09 to 1.32). There were no serious, active intervention-related adverse events.CONCLUSIONS: This pilot trial among LTRs showed acceptable recruitment and high retention and adherence. We demonstrated a signal for reduction of new skin cancer cases in those taking omega-3 FA supplements, which supports the notion that a larger, more definitive trial is warranted.
AB - BACKGROUND: Lung transplant recipients (LTRs) are at very high risk of skin cancer. Omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) are anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating and could potentially reduce this risk. We assessed the feasibility of omega-3 FA supplementation to reduce skin cancer among these patients.METHODS: LTRs aged 18+ years, at least 1 year post-transplant, were recruited from the outpatient clinic of The Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane. Participants were randomly allocated to 4-times-daily supplements containing either omega-3 FA (3.36 eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] + docosahexaenoic acid) or placebo (4 g olive oil) for 12 months. Primary outcomes were rates of recruitment, retention, adherence (assessed by plasma omega-3 FA), and safety. Secondary outcomes were incident skin cancers.RESULTS: Among 106 eligible lung transplant recipients, 49 consented to take part (46%) with 25 allocated to omega-3 FA and 24 to placebo supplements. Of these, 22 (88%) and 20 (83%), respectively, completed the trial. After 12 months, median plasma EPA increased substantially in the intervention group (125.0 to 340.0 µmol/L), but not the placebo group (98.0 to 134.5 µmol/L). In the intervention group, 6 patients developed skin cancers compared with 11 in the placebo group, giving an odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of 0.34 (0.09 to 1.32). There were no serious, active intervention-related adverse events.CONCLUSIONS: This pilot trial among LTRs showed acceptable recruitment and high retention and adherence. We demonstrated a signal for reduction of new skin cancer cases in those taking omega-3 FA supplements, which supports the notion that a larger, more definitive trial is warranted.
U2 - 10.1016/j.healun.2018.09.009
DO - 10.1016/j.healun.2018.09.009
M3 - Article
C2 - 30352778
SN - 1053-2498
VL - 38
SP - 59
EP - 65
JO - Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation
JF - Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation
IS - 1
ER -