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Supplements for Testicular Cancer

May 16, 2011 | By Bonnie Vanaman
Supplements for Testicular Cancer
Photo Credit Green apple among red apple image by Mau Horng from Fotolia.com

Testicular cancer may be rare, accounting for only one percent of all tumors in men, but it's the most common malignancy in males aged 15 to 34 years, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Treatment involves surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, and patients are not advised to rely on nutritional supplements for a cancer cure. However, certain supplements may be able to help fight the side effects patients experience from testicular cancer and the medications used in therapy.

Identification

Testicular cancer occurs primarily in the germ cells, or the cells in the testicles that produce immature sperm. The cause of the cancer is unknown, but healthy germ cells develop abnormalities and continue dividing in large numbers that form a mass in a testicle. Surgery to remove the testicle is the primary treatment for nearly all stages and types of testicular cancer. Radiation may also be needed in some cases, although it can cause pain and infertility. Chemotherapy is also sometimes required; side effects depend upon the type of medication used, although they can include fatigue, nausea, hair loss, infertility and an increased risk of infection.

Carnitine

One of the primary drugs used in chemotherapy for testicular cancer is etoposide, which can affect normal testicle maturation when used on prepubescent boys and lead to infertility in adulthood. One way to preserve fertility in these patients is to protect the cells lining the surfaces and vessels in the testicles. A study published in "Cell Tissue Research" in August 2009 found that carnitine, a naturally-occurring amino acid, was able to provide some protection against damage caused by etoposide, although the mechanism by which it happens is unknown.

Magnesium

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body, important for bone formation and protecting kidneys against disease, but it's frequently depleted after treatments with cisplatin, another chemotherapy drug, Research published in 1986 in the "British Journal of Cancer," showed that testicular cancer patients given magnesium supplements had considerably less kidney damage than controls, without any negative impacts upon testicular tumor growth.

Quercetin

A study in the April 2005 issue of "British Journal of Cancer" demonstrated a link between high cholesterol and an increased risk for testicular cancer. Quercetin, an antioxidant found in foods like apples, berries and red wine, has improved cholesterol levels in several vitro and animal studies, although human trials were lacking. Research published in "Nutrition Research and Practice" in February 2011, however, found that quercetin supplementation in healthy male smokers significantly decreased levels of total cholesterol and the harmful LDL cholesterol, while greatly increasing the beneficial HDL cholesterol. Quercetin has also exhibited an ability to affect sperm quality and viability, as noted in a study published in the "Asian Journal of Andrology" in May 2008, which could help testicular cancer patients on chemotherapy prevent infertility.

Vitamin E

Testicular cancer patients who receive the chemotherapy drug cisplatin sometimes suffer from nerve damage that may take months or years to go away. Research at the University of Patras Medical School in Greece, published in "Supportive Care in Cancer" in November 2006, indicated that a daily dose of 600 mg during chemotherapy and three months after its cessation reduced the incidence of neuropathy in cisplatin-treated patients to 21.4 percent, compared to 68.5 percent in a control group.

References

Article reviewed by Mia Paul Last updated on: May 16, 2011

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