When mesothelioma patients are having chemotherapy treatment they are often given vitamin B12 and folic acid supplements to combat a dangerous drop in the white blood cells which can leave them vulnerable to infection. The condition is called neutropenia.
However, researchers at the Royal Marsden Hospital in the United Kingdom took a random group of 83 patients with mesothelioma and undergoing chemotherapy and did not give them the vitamin supplement.
They discovered that there was no difference at all between those on the supplement and those who were not given them and that the cases of neutropenia showed no difference between the two groups. There was also no difference in the survival rates between the two groups either.
They concluded that the addition of vitamin B12 and folic acid to the treatment of mesothelioma patients undergoing chemotherapy did not improve the toxicity of the treatment, the quality of life nor the overall survival but more testing is needed to improve the success of giving supplements during treatment of the disease.
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