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Medicinal Mushroom Supplements in Cancer: A Systematic Review of Clinical Studies

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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Patients seek clinical guidance on mushroom supplements that can be given alongside conventional treatments, but most research on such fungi has been preclinical. The current systematic review focused on clinical studies of mushrooms in cancer care conducted in the past 10 years. We searched Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), Scopus (Wiley), and Cochrane Library to identify all mushroom studies conducted in humans published from January 2010 through December 2020. Two authors independently assessed papers for inclusion.

Recent Findings

Of 136 clinical studies identified by screening 2349, 39 met inclusion criteria. The studies included 12 different mushroom preparations. A survival benefit was reported using Huaier granules (Trametes robiniophila Murr) in 2 hepatocellular carcinoma studies and 1 breast cancer study. A survival benefit was also found in 4 gastric cancer studies using polysaccharide-K (polysaccharide-Kureha; PSK) in the adjuvant setting. Eleven studies reported a positive immunological response. Quality-of-life (QoL) improvement and/or reduced symptom burden was reported in 14 studies using various mushroom supplements. Most studies reported adverse effects of grade 2 or lower, mainly nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and muscle pain. Limitations included small sample size and not using randomized controlled trial design.

Summary

Many of the reviewed studies were small and observational. Most showed favorable effects of mushroom supplements in reducing the toxicity of chemotherapy, improving QoL, favorable cytokine response, and possibly better clinical outcomes. Nevertheless, the evidence is inconclusive to recommend the routine use of mushrooms for cancer patients. More trials are needed to explore mushroom use during and after cancer treatment.

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Data Availability

Available in MD Anderson database.

Abbreviations

AHCC :

Active hexose correlated compound

CD :

Cluster of differentiation

HCC :

Hepatocellular carcinoma

IFN-γ :

Interferon-gamma

IL-1Ra :

Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist

ILs :

Interleukins

MCS :

Mental component summary

MHC :

Major histocompatibility complex

NK :

Natural killer

OS :

Overall survival

PCS :

Physical component summary

PD-L1 :

Programmed death ligand 1

PRISMA :

Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

PS :

Performance status

PSA :

Prostate-specific antigen

PSK :

Polysaccharide-Kureha

QoL :

Quality-of-Life

RFS :

Recurrence-free survival

SEs :

Side effects

Th1/Th2 :

T helper 1/T helper 2

TNF-ɑ :

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha

Tregs :

Regulatory T cells

UFT :

Tegafur/uracil

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Acknowledgements

Editorial support was provided by Bryan Tutt, Scientific Editor, Research Medical Library at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Santhosshi Narayanan, Aline Rozman de Mores, Lorenzo Cohen, Gabriel Lopez, Peiying Yang & Eduardo Bruera

  2. Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Graduate Studies and Research (IGSR), Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt

    Mohammed Moustapha Anwar

  3. São Paulo Câncer Institute (ICESP), São Paulo, Brazil

    Felippe Lazar

  4. Research Medical Library, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Rachel Hicklen

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  1. Santhosshi Narayanan
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Narayanan, S., de Mores, A.R., Cohen, L. et al. Medicinal Mushroom Supplements in Cancer: A Systematic Review of Clinical Studies. Curr Oncol Rep 25, 569–587 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-023-01408-2

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