Protective effects of Panax ginseng against doxorubicin-induced cardiac toxicity in patients with non-metastatic breast cancer: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

This article focuses on a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluating the cardioprotective effects of Panax ginseng supplementation in women with non-metastatic breast cancer undergoing anthracycline-based chemotherapy, specifically doxorubicin (DOX). The study found that patients receiving 1 g/day of ginseng alongside standard chemotherapy experienced significantly less decline in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and no cases of cancer therapeutics-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD), defined as a ≥10% drop in LVEF, compared to the placebo group, which showed a notable decrease in LVEF and higher incidence of CTRCD after six months. High-sensitive cardiac troponin I levels did not differ significantly between groups. These findings suggest that prophylactic ginseng supplementation may mitigate early DOX-induced cardiac dysfunction, potentially through antioxidant mechanisms, although larger and longer-term studies are needed to confirm these effects and assess applicability to patients with preexisting cardiovascular conditions.