Melatonin and cancer progression (or lack of)

Sharing some stuff regarding cancer prevention that I have in my collection:

For over 15 years the National Cancer Institute at the NIH, Cancer.gov, has known that melatonin is effective against cancer. Why didn't the oncologist share this with us when my mother got brain cancer? Could it be that 20 mg of Melatonin is about $11 a month and Temodar is $200.00 a pill and she got 102 pills? Hummm... Plus Temodar gives doctors repeat business. Mom went to the ER twice because the chemo shut down her bowels.

By the way, apparently marijuana increases melatonin significantly. I have not seen any studies on this, just so-called "common knowledge" stuff on advocates for medical marijuana. Though, they might have a point. I'm in FL, pot is illegal. We had our share of pot smoking in the 70s and 80s and are not fond of weed anymore.

NIH report:

http://www.cancer.gov/cam/attachments/MelatoninSummary.pdf - NIH

In all studies, melatonin was given orally once a day in the dark phase of the photoperiod at doses of 20–40 mg/day. In randomized studies of 1,440 patients with untreatable advanced solid-tumors who received melatonin or supportive care alone, melatonin prolonged survival time and prevented neoplastic cachexia, even though objective tumor regression was seen in only 2% of patients.

http://ukpmc.ac.uk/abstract/MED/3462341/reload=0;jsessionid=IZRO3ncFtCP7mNJYklWM.2

There is some evidence to suggest that the pineal gland influences neoplastic growth. Either crude or partially-purified pineal extracts have been used to treat malignant neoplasms in humans. More compelling evidence indicates that the pineal hormone melatonin, in addition to its well known antireproductive effects, may also exert oncostatic effects particularly in animal models of human breast cancer. However, it is not clear whether melatonin inhibits mammary cancer growth via an indirect neuroendocrine mechanism or via an action directly on the cancer cells themselves. Studies are described in which physiological concentrations of melatonin are shown to have marked inhibitory effects directly on MCF-7 human breast cancer cell growth in culture. Supra- or subphysiological levels of melatonin are completely ineffective in retarding breast cancer cell proliferation. Precursors and metabolites of melatonin such as serotonin, N-acetylserotonin and 6-hydroxymelatonin do not inhibit MCF-7 cell growth. Similarly, neither 5-methoxytryptophol nor 5-methoxytryptamine, regarded by some to be putative pineal hormones, exhibit antimitogenic properties. Melatonin completely blocks the estradiol-induced stimulation of MCF-7 cell proliferation. In defined, serum-free medium, melatonin loses its antimitogenic capabilities unless cells are also simultaneously exposed to either estradiol or prolactin. Therefore, the antiproliferative effect of melatonin may be dependent on the presence of serum and a complex interaction with hormones such as estradiol and/or prolactin.

Effects of the Pineal Hormone Melatonin on the Proliferation and Morphological Characteristics of Human Breast Cancer Cells (MCF-7) in Culture
http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/48/21/6121.short

http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowAbstractBuch&ArtikelNr=227533&ProduktNr=245148

The prognosis of brain glioblastoma is still very poor and the median survival time is generally less than 6 months. At present, no chemotherapy has appeared to influence its prognosis. On the other hand, recent advances in brain tumor biology have suggested that brain tumor growth is at least in part under a neuroendocrine control, mainly realized by opioid peptides and pineal substances. On this basis, we evaluated the influence of a concomitant administration of the pineal hormone melatonin (MLT) in patients with glioblastoma treated with radical or adjuvant radiotherapy (RT). The study included 30 patients with glioblastoma, who were randomized to receive RT alone (60 Gy) or RT plus MLT (20 mg/daily orally) until disease progression. Both the survival curve and the percent of survival at 1 year were significantly higher in patients treated with RT plus MLT than in those receiving RT alone (6/14 vs. 1/16). Moreover, RT or steroid therapy-related toxicities were lower in patients concomitantly treated with MLT. This preliminary study suggests that a radioneuroendocrine approach with RT plus the pineal hormone MLT may prolong the survival time and improve the quality of life of patients affected by glioblastoma.

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2004/jan2004_report_melatonin_04.htm

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ben/ctmc/2002/00000002/00000002/art00002

http://www.alternative-cancer-care.com/Melatonin_Cancer.html

http://www.townsendletter.com/AugSept2010/estrogen0810.html

Martin Dayton, et al. Defeat Cancer: 15 Doctors of Integrative and Naturopathic Medicine Tell You How. BioMed Publishing Group, May 2011

http://www.naturalnews.com/033511_melatonin_cancer.html