Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40490846›Full record

Trial reportInternational journal of cancer2025

Safety and efficacy of docosahexaenoic acid supplementation during neoadjuvant breast cancer therapy: Findings from the phase II, double-blind, randomized controlled DHA-WIN trial.

Jaqueline Munhoz, Marnie Newell, Gilbert Bigras, Susan Goruk, Anil Abraham Joy, Sunita Ghosh, Kerry S Courneya, Vera Mazurak, Claire M Douglas, Xiaofu Zhu and 7 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled TrialClinical Trial, Phase II
In one paragraph

Trial report in International journal of cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Jaqueline MunhozDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Marnie NewellDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Gilbert BigrasDepartment of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Susan GorukDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Anil Abraham JoyDepartment of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Sunita GhoshDepartment of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Kerry S CourneyaFaculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Vera MazurakDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Claire M DouglasDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Xiaofu ZhuDepartment of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Bohdarianna ZorniakDepartment of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
John MackeyDepartment of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Judith Meza JuncoDepartment of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Julie Price HillerDepartment of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Karen KingDepartment of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Sanraj K BasiDepartment of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Catherine J FieldDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-7285-4767

Funding

Butler Family FoundationCanadian Research Chair Tier 1 in Human Nutrition and MetabolismCancer Research Institute of Northern Alberta (CRINA)CIHR RES0037745Cross Cancer Institute Investigator Initiated Trials IIT-0005Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science (University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta)
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

There is limited clinical evidence of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) efficacy during breast cancer neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of DHA supplementation in breast cancer patients undergoing NAC. Participants (n = 49) were assigned to receive either DHA 4.4 g/day orally (algae triacylglycerol) or a placebo (corn/soy oil) over six cycles (18 weeks) of NAC. The primary outcome was the evaluation of changes in the percentage of Ki-67 expression, assessed by immunohistochemistry analysis from pre- to post-treatment. Secondary outcomes included pathological complete response, incidence of adverse effects, and 3-year survival analysis. Compliance was evaluated by fatty acid analysis of plasma phospholipids and erythrocyte total lipids quantified by gas-liquid chromatography. The expression of Ki-67 significantly decreased in both groups, with no significant effects of the DHA intervention (p = 0.38). When stratified by breast cancer subtype, there was a trend of greater reduction in Ki-67 expression in the human epidermal growth receptor 2 (HER2+++) subtype in the DHA group compared to placebo (p = 0.1). The % of DHA in erythrocytes and plasma phospholipids was increased by two-fold at 9 and 15 weeks of therapy in the DHA group, while it remained unchanged in the placebo group (p-interaction <0.001). There was no reported incidence of adverse effects related to the intervention, and no significant effects were found in the other secondary outcomes. NAC significantly decreased the expression of Ki-67, with no additional beneficial effects observed by DHA supplementation. Further research is necessary to confirm these findings.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsDietary SupplementsDocosahexaenoic AcidsNeoadjuvant TherapyAdultAgedDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansKi-67 AntigenMiddle AgedTreatment OutcomeDocosahexaenoic AcidsKi-67 Antigenhuman epidermal growth factor receptor 2Ki‐67long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acidsOmega‐3pathological complete responsetriple negative breast cancer

Identifiers

PMID40490846
PMCPMC12334910

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.