10/26/2025
Results from a small clinical trial suggest that curcumin might boost the efficacy of conventional therapy in multiple myeloma patients by modulating molecular pathways tied to inflammation and tumour survival. However, results are preliminary and larger, better-controlled studies are needed.
In this pilot randomised clinical trial from Indonesia, 33 patients with multiple myeloma were assigned to receive either standard therapy (melphalan plus prednisone) or the same therapy plus 8 g of curcumin daily as an adjuvant. These patients were ineligible for bone marrow transplant. The study found that the curcumin group achieved a much higher remission rate (75% versus 33.3%, P=0.009, per-protocol analysis of 24 patients) and showed significantly greater reductions in inflammatory/pro-tumour markers such as NF-κB, VEGF and TNF-α. TNF-α levels were significantly correlated with remission (Odds Ratio, OR=1.35; P=0.03). There were early deaths and dropouts in both arms (infection, cytopenia, adverse events); 12/17 vs 12/16 patients in the respective groups completed 4 cycles of treatment.
What was encouraging from the trial were the biologically coherent effects: NF-κB/VEGF/TNF-α shifts all aligned with the proposed mechanism. However, there were several limitations such as the few participants, the high dropout rate, the short follow-up and the outdated conventional treatment.
Also worth noting is the curcumin was not given with any technology to enhance its bioavailability, hence the very high dose.
Of course, curcumin is widely regarded as an ‘antioxidant’, and we have the “antioxidants are contraindicated during conventional cancer therapy” mantra that has been widely repeated in oncology. However, it is increasingly being questioned (at least by biomedical scientists), especially in the light of clinical trial data such as this and nuanced biochemical evidence. Specifically, many natural compounds like curcumin are not merely antioxidants; they act as redox modulators—context-dependent regulators that can enhance oxidative stress in cancer cells while protecting normal tissue through selective activation of adaptive pathways such as Nrf2, AMPK and p53.
Curcumin, in particular, has been shown in multiple preclinical studies to sensitise malignant cells to chemotherapeutic agents and enhance apoptosis. Human data, including the above pilot trial, support the possibility that it can improve remission rates rather than blunt therapy responses. In other words, the “antioxidant = interference” dogma fails to account for biological complexity and context specificity.
For more information see: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35919637/
