Use of sodium dichloroacetate for cancer treatment: a scoping review

In recent years, drug repurposing (DR) has gained significant attention as a promising strategy for identifying new therapeutic uses of existing drugs. One potential candidate for DR in cancer treatment is sodium dichloroacetate (DCA), which has been shown to alter tumor metabolism and decrease apoptosis resistance in cancer cells. In this paper, we present a scoping review of the use of DCA for cancer treatment in adult patients, aiming to identify key research gaps in this area. This scoping review aims to explore the existing scientific literature to provide an overview of the use of DCA (any dose, frequency, or route of administration) in adults with cancer. A comprehensive literature search of the medical databases MEDLINE/PubMed, LILACS, EPISTEMONIKOS, the Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials was performed. We included publications reporting on adult patients diagnosed with any type of cancer treated with sodium dichloroacetate in combination or not with other drugs. All types of study design were included. A total of 12 articles were included, most of them were case reports. We found a high degree of heterogeneity between them. The most frequent adverse events in the evaluated studies were asthenia, reversible toxicity, and an increase in liver enzymes. Effectiveness was difficult to evaluate. We conclude that there is insufficient evidence to affirm that treatment with DCA in cancer patients is effective or is safe.