Systemic therapies for the treatment of cancer collaborate to reduce cancer progression and have been used for decades. However, despite the clinical benefits, its long-term use is associated with toxicity, promoting important side effects that can compromise the quality of life. Enzyme supplementation has been pointed out as a therapeutic potential in several diseases. Bromelain is an enzyme complex that regulates pathways associated with inflammation. This review aims to evaluate the use of bromelain-containing supplements to improve the side effects of cancer treatment. This systematic review was developed in PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library, using the terms: Cancer AND Bromelain. 239 studies were retrieved, and only three met our objective. In general, it was possible to observe that supplementation was able to reduce side effects of adjuvant hormone therapy and chemotherapy, such as mucosal dryness, arthralgia, and peripheral neuropathy induced by chemotherapy.
Keywords: cancer; chemotherapy; enzyme therapy; hormone therapy.