The effect of oral curcumin on vincristine-induced neuropathy in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial

• Published in: BMC cancer Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 344 - 9
• Main Authors: Eghbali, Aziz, Adibifar, Mahsa, Ghasemi, Ali, Afzal, Roghayeh Rahimi, Moradi, Katayoun, Eghbali, Aygin, Faress, Foroozan, Ghaffari, Kazem
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 25.02.2025; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia; Acute lymphocytic leukemia; Administration, Oral; Adolescent; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - adverse effects; Antioxidants; Care and treatment; Causes of; Chemotherapy; Child; Child, Preschool; Clinical trials; Complications and side effects; Curcumin; Curcumin - administration & dosage; Curcumin - therapeutic use; Diabetes; Dosage and administration; Double-Blind Method; Drug therapy; Electromyography; Female; Humans; Leukemia; Lymphatic leukemia; Lymphoma; Male; Medical prognosis; Neurological diseases; Neuropathy; Oncology; Pain; Parents & parenting; Patients; Pediatric research; Pediatrics; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases - chemically induced; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases - drug therapy; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases - prevention & control; Peripheral neuropathy; Pharmaceutical industry; Placebos; Polyneuropathies; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma - complications; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma - drug therapy; Sensory neurons; Spinal cord; Treatment Outcome; Turmeric; Vincristine; Vincristine - administration & dosage; Vincristine - adverse effects; Iran; Pediatrics; Curcumin; Neuropathy; Acute lymphoblastic leukemia; Vincristine
• ISSN: 1471-2407; 1471-2407
• DOI: 10.1186/s12885-025-13751-7

Peripheral neuropathy is a major adverse effect of Vincristine (VCR) in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients. Curcumin can prevent the development of many neurological diseases. This clinical trial study was conducted on 141 pediatric ALL patients, all over 5 years old. The subjects were randomly divided into a curcumin-treatment group and a placebo group. In the curcumin-treatment group, patients received 3 mg/kg oral curcumin capsules twice a day for 3 months. In the placebo cohort, participants were administered placebo capsules twice a day for 3 months. Administration of VCR was started in all patients in both groups, with a weekly dose of 1.5 mg/m . Overall, 39.4% of participants in the curcumin treatment group and 70.0% in the placebo group had VIPN. Thus, a significant difference in the incidence of VIPN was observed in the two groups (P < 0.001). A significantly higher frequency of motor nerve abnormalities in all types of nerves was observed in the placebo group than in the curcumin treatment group (P < 0.05). The results of our study showed that curcumin is effective in preventing the development of VIPN and leads to the improvement of VIPN in these patients. Our findings indicate that the prevalence of VIPN was substantially lower in the curcumin-treated group compared to the placebo group, as confirmed by both NCS and EMG assessments. Furthermore, curcumin demonstrated a protective effect against motor and sensory nerve damage, with a significant reduction in motor nerve abnormalities. This study was registered at https://irct.behdasht.gov.ir/trial/73161 . IRCT20201107049296N3. Date of registration: 2022-09-11.