Improved survival in patients with end-stage cancer treated with coenzyme Q(10) and other antioxidants: a pilot study.

This pilot study evaluated the survival of patients with end-stage cancer who received supplements of coenzyme Q(10) and a mixture of other antioxidants (e.g. vitamin C, selenium, folic acid and beta-carotene). During a period of 9 years, 41 patients who had end-stage cancer were included. Forty patients were followed until death and one patient was lost to follow-up and presumed dead. Primary cancers were located in the breast, brain, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, oesophagus, stomach, colon, prostate, ovaries and skin. The median predicted survival time was calculated from Kaplan-Meier curves for each patient at inclusion. Median predicted survival was 12 months (range 3 - 29 months), whereas median actual survival was 17 months (1 - 120 months), which is > 40% longer than the median predicted survival. Mean actual survival was 28.8 months versus 11.9 months for mean predicted survival. Ten patients (24%) survived for less time than predicted, whereas 31 (76%) survived for longer. Treatments were very well tolerated with few adverse effects.