Cancer, an often aggressive disease that causes cells in the body to grow out of control, will cause more than half a million deaths in the United States in 2010. Physicians often treat cancer with harsh therapies like chemotherapy and radiation, which affect cancer cells and healthy cells. To help protect cells, cancer patients may consider vitamins as part of their cancer therapy.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C may inhibit growth of some tumors, according to research conducted by Johns Hopkins University and published in the September 2007 journal "Cancer Cell." Medline Plus indicates that increasing intake of vitamin C through the ingestion of fruits and vegetables may help decrease the risk of developing some mouth and breast cancers. Scientific research is far from conclusive, however. Vitamin C may be ineffective for some cancers, and research published in the October 2008 issue of "Cancer Research" reports that taking vitamin C lessens the effect of traditional cancer drugs. Thirty to 70 percent fewer cancer cells treated were destroyed when vitamin C was present in patients' bodies.
Vitamin D
Research indicates vitamin D may promote cancer cell death, slow the growth of cancer cells and even help prevent cancer. A 2008 study by the German Cancer Research Center shows that women with low levels of vitamin D have an increased risk of breast cancer, and research published in the September 2010 journal "Cancer Prevention Research" notes that taking vitamin D can reduce the risk of developing obesity-induced endometrial cancer. The National Cancer Institute indicates that vitamin D may play a role in preventing prostate, pancreatic and colorectal cancers as well as other rare cancers.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E may have beneficial effects for cancer patients, though research is not conclusive. Preliminary evidence reported by the Mayo Clinic suggests decreased risk of death for patients with bladder cancer with long-term vitamin E supplement use, and research is ongoing with regard to vitamin E's efficacy as a treatment or preventive agent for breast cancer. Research published in the April 2006 issue of the "Journal of Biological Chemistry" reveals that a derivative of vitamin E called vitamin E succinate may kill cancer cells without damaging healthy cells in the body. Researchers from this study say taking vitamin E succinate could reduce the risk of prostate, colon and other cancers.
Mayo Clinic urges caution in the use of vitamin E with cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation. High doses of antioxidants, including vitamin E, could reduce the positive effects of such treatments.
