Iodine Supplementation on Breast Cancer

The leading causes of failure of breast cancer treatment are the rapid development of metastases and tumor resistance to antineoplastic drugs. Anthracyclines (doxorubicin (DOX), epirubicin, etc.) are the golden standard in neoadjuvant therapy and are commonly used in the FEC/TE (5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide/taxotere, epirubicin) combination therapy during advanced breast cancer. However, even when treated with this potent chemotherapeutic combination, 30% of patients develop chemoresistance and cardiomyopathic side effects. Previous studies support that the oral supplement of molecular iodine (I2) exerts synergistic antineoplastic and cardioprotective impact when used in combination with the DOX in rodent and canine mammary cancer model. The present study performed two randomized clinical groups including women with early (stage II) and advanced (stage III) breast cancer. In the Early group, women were treated with I2 (5 mg/day) or placebo (colored water) for 7 to 35 days. In the Advanced group, patients received treatment (I2 or placebo) along with 4 to 6 cycles of FEC/TE treatment. The study analyzes the clinical response \[tumor size, thyroid status, side effects (Common Toxicity Criteria V4.0)\] and molecular mechanisms in the tumor samples (transcriptomic, proteins and immune responses).