Melatonin and cancer - a review of the literature

Abstract

This paper is a literature review of the three last decades about the role of melatonin (MEL) in the pathogenesis and treatment of cancer. MEL's major mechanisms of action involve immunologic regulation, biochemical and metabolic effects. In vitro and in vivo studies are described, including some in humans with advanced or metastatic cancer (breast, prostatic, pulmonary, gastric, hepatic, ovarian and intestinal tumors). MEL has two particularly important actions: oncostatic and protective against the main adverse effects of chemotheraphy (myelodisplastic, neurotoxic and hematologic). MEL was first used as a new type of oncologic therapy, the immunotherapy, in the 1990s to treat patients with non-small cell lung cancer.