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Disclaimer:  This information is not meant as direct medical advice. Readers should always review options with their local medical team. This is the sole opinion of Dr. Meakin based on literature review at the time of the blog and may change as new evidence evolves.

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Melatonin In Cancer Treatment

Can melatonin supplementation impact cancer development in a non-cancer patient? Can it affect cancer growth rates when added to standard therapies in cancer patients?



I. Historical Context

Figure 1: Melatonin (C13H16N2O2) is a pleiotropic, regulatory hormone involved in many biological processes. (Image courtesy of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)
Figure 1: Melatonin (C13H16N2O2) is a pleiotropic, regulatory hormone involved in many biological processes. (Image courtesy of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)

Melatonin, or 5-methoxy-N-acetyltryptamine, is a hormone synthesized primarily by the pineal gland. Since its discovery over sixty years ago, melatonin has been the subject of extensive preclinical and clinical research (1). Over the course of the 20th century, scientific investigators have uncovered many of melatonin’s physiological functions. One of its best charact