Prevention of tumors in treating fibrocystic breast diseases using Vitex agnus-castus-based herbal remedy

Background. Oncologists notice an increasing prevalence of female reproductive system pathological conditions that lead to benign and malignant diseases of mammary glands. Fibrocystic breast diseases (FBD) occur in approximately 80 % of women of reproductive age worldwide. Currently, there is no single widely accepted treatment for FBD. The therapy mainly includes surgery and hormonal treatment. A few herbal medicines effective against FBD include Vitex agnus-castus (VAC) medications. According to many studies, the absence of timely targeted preventive therapy puts patients with FBD at risk of developing malignant tumors. FBD is a risk factor for cancer development and turns into cancer in 3–6 % of patients.
Aim. To assess the effectiveness of VAC against FBD.
Materials and methods. In this study, 150 women aged 40+ with FBD were randomly assigned to the treatment group (n = 78) or the controls (n = 72). The groups were similar in demographic characteristics, including age, parity, menopause, history of abortions, family history of breast cancer, and alcohol and tobacco consumption. The treatment group received two tablets of VAC extract (each containing 162 mg) daily for six months. At baseline, weeks 12 and 24, all participants were evaluated using a visual analog scale and ultrasound examination.
Results. Breast pain decreased significantly in the treatment group, and the median visual analog scale scores at weeks 12 and 24 decreased significantly compared to baseline in the treatment group (89.7 % at baseline, 76.9 % at week 12, and 42.3 % at week 24) compared to the controls (66.3 % at baseline, 63.9 % at week 12 and 61.1 % at week 24). Furthermore, the breast ultrasound findings at weeks 12 and 24 revealed that regression rates in the treatment group were significantly higher than in the control arm (46.2 % vs. 6.9 % at week 12; 55.1 % vs. 8.3 % at week 24).
Conclusion. VAC is effective in managing patients with FBD. VAC treatment efficacy can be evaluated using a visual analog scale and ultrasound examination. The herbal remedy VAC extract used in this treatment for patients with FBD has proven effective in preventing breast cancer.

1. Kaydarova D.R., Abdrakhmanova A.Zh., Omarbaeva N.A. et al. Therapeutic effectiveness of toremifene in the treatment of dyshormonal disorders of the mammary glands. Pharmacy of Kazakhstan 2020;10:12–6. Available at: https://clck.ru/3GcEKn

2. Malherbe K., Khan M., Fatima S. Fibrocystic Breast Disease. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island: StatPearls Publishing, 2024. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551609/.

3. Rafieian-Kopaei M., Movahedi M. Systematic review of premenstrual, postmenstrual and infertility disorders of Vitex agnus-castus. Electron Physician 2017;9(1):3685–9. DOI: 10.19082/3685

4. Feng Y., Spezia M., Huang S. et al. Breast cancer development and progression: Risk factors, cancer stem cells, signaling pathways, genomics, and molecular pathogenesis. Genes Dis 2018;5(2): 77–106. DOI: 10.1016/j.gendis.2018.05.001

5. Egwuonwu O.A., Anyanwu S.N., Chianakwana G.U., Ihekwoaba E.C. Breast Pain: Clinical pattern and aetiology in a breast clinic in Eastern Nigeria. Niger J Surg 2016;22(1):9–11. DOI: 10.4103/1117-6806.169822

6. ElSherif A., Valente S.A. Management of mastalgia. Surg Clin North Am 2022;102(6):929–46. DOI: 10.1016/j.suc.2022.06.001

7. Csupor D., Lantos T., Hegyi P. et al. Vitex agnus-castus in premenstrual syndrome: A meta-analysis of double-blind, randomized controlled trials. Complement Ther Med 2019;47:102190. DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2019.08.024

8. Kulagina N.V. Treatment for mastalgia in the presence of diffuse mastopathy in female patients during the menopausal transition period. Reprod Endocrinol 2017;(38):81–5. Available at: http://reproduct-endo.com/article/view/119842/114529.

9. Seidlova-Wuttke D., Wuttke W. The premenstrual syndrome, premenstrual mastodynia, fibrocystic mastopathy, and infertility often have common roots: Effects of extracts of chaste berry (Vitex agnus-castus) as a solution. Clin Phytosci 2017;3:6. DOI: 10.1186/s40816-016-0038-z

10. Halaska M., Beles P., Gorkow C., Sieder C. Treatment of cyclical mastalgia with a solution containing a Vitex agnus-castus extract: Results of a placebo-controlled double-blind study. Breast 1999;8(4):175–81. DOI: 10.1054/brst.1999.0039

11. Kamal N., Mio Asni N.S., Rozlan I.N.A. et al. Traditional medicinal uses, phytochemistry, biological properties, and health applications of Vitex sp. Plants (Basel) 2022;11(15):1944. DOI: 10.3390/plants11151944

12. Mirghafourvand M., Mohammad-Alizadeh-Charandabi S., Ahmadpour P., Javadzadeh Y. Effects of Vitex agnus and Flaxseed on cyclic mastalgia: A randomized controlled trial. Complement Ther Med 2016;24:90–5. DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2015.12.009

13. Zeqiri A., Dermaku-Sopjani M., Sopjani M. The mechanisms underlying the role of Vitex agnus-castus in mastalgia. Bratisl Lek Listy 2022;123(12):913–8. DOI: 10.4149/BLL_2022_147

14. Breivik H., Borchgrevink P.C., Allen S.M. et al. Assessment of pain. Brit J Anaest 2008;101(1):17–24. DOI: 10.1093/bja/aen103

15. Schwartz L.H., Litière S., de Vries E. et al. RECIST 1.1-Update and clarification: From the RECIST committee. Eur J Cancer 2016;62:132–7. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2016.03.081

16. Bernard V., Young J., Binart N. Prolactin – a pleiotropic factor in health and disease. Nat Rev Endocrinol 2019;15(6):356–65. DOI: 10.1038/s41574-019-0194-6

17. Thorat M.A., Levey P.M., Jones J.L. et al. Prognostic value of ER and PgR expression and the impact of multi-clonal expression for recurrence in ductal carcinoma in situ: Results from the UK/ANZ DCIS Trial. Clin Cancer Res 2021;27(10):2861–7. DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-20-4635