Many of the 10 million cancer patients in the US are taking nutritional supplements, but an accurate assessment of the frequency is not well appreciated.
In the February 1, 2008 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Christine Velicer and Cornelia Ulrich report a systematic review of supplement use among US cancer patients. Prostate cancer patients are among the lowest users of supplements.
A total of 32 studies published between 1999 and 2006 met the criteria for review of prevalence of vitamin and mineral supplement use among patients undergoing active cancer treatment. The review revealed that a range of 64% to 81% of survivors reported any vitamin or mineral supplement use and 26% to 77% reported using any vitamins. Nine studies reported use among breast cancer survivors, and use of any vitamins or minerals was 67%-87% and multivitamin use was 57%-62%. The increase in use after breast cancer diagnosis was up to 32%. Complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM) use was associated with younger age, higher education, greater physical activity and psychosocial factors. Use of any vitamins was 38%-43% for colorectal cancer patients and 60% for lung cancer patients.