Evidence shows that certain medical illnesses whose symptoms show a circadian rhythm respond better when drugs are coordinated with that rhythm [4]. Medications for asthma, epilepsy, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and allergies all have shown better results with minimum side effects when given at particular times. As Lynne Lamberg stated in the journal American Pharmacy, "Circadian physiologic processes alter drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. As a result, drug doses need to be adjusted to meet the differing needs of target organs or tissue at various times of day" [22].
The implications for cancer treatment are clearly demonstrated by studies conducted by Dr. Hrushesky at Albany Medical College. In one study, patients with advanced ovarian cancer received two different drugs at 6 AM and 6 PM. The second group received the same drugs at the same time but in reverse order. After five years, 50% of the first group was still alive, but only 10% of the second group had survived. Chemotherapy drugs are toxic to both the cancer cells and the host cells, but there may be a time when the body is more resistant or tolerant to the drugs and the cancer cells more sensitive [4]. The precise timing of cancer drugs can literally make the difference between life or death.
The second study involved the
timing of breast cancer surgery with respect to the patient's menstrual cycle.
The study of this group of women five to twelve years after surgery found that
women whose surgery was performed mid-cycle or near ovulation, when estrogen
is highest, had fewer and later recurrences, as opposed to women who had surgery
during the time of menstruation.
Researchers are currently trying to re-educate the medical profession
about the limitations of traditional prescribing practices and the greater
potential benefits of administering medication at the most appropriate time.
In the future, other research will no doubt provide even stronger arguments
for coordinating medical tests and procedures more closely with temporal
information and with influences of the biological clock that have not yet been
discovered [22].
mammogram depicting a tumor in the breast