Effect on Quality of Life of a Lentinus edodes mycelia-enriched diet (LEM ® ) in patients with terminal cancer

Purpose: It is important to offer the highest possible quality of life (QOL) for terminal cancer patients in palliative medicine. It was examined whether Lentinus edodes mycelia (L•E•M) -containing diet (CORELEM) was effective in improving the QOL for terminal cancer patients. Methods: Efficiency for QOL of L•E•M was examined by repeated oral administration in a dosage equivalent to 1,000-1,500 mg L•E•M/day to 105 terminal cancer patients for 4 weeks with placebo as a control using the double-blind parallel-group comparison test. Results: The CORELEM group showed a significant improvement in clinical conditions of pain, depression, insomnia, and mouth dryness compared to the placebo group. Moreover, both groups showed no serious adverse events during diet ingestion. Conclusion: It was suggested that CORELEM is effective in improving QOL and safely ingestible for terminal cancer patients.