The Concurrent Use of Antioxidants and Cytotoxic Cancer Treatments

In early 2000 I published a small book on the topic of Antioxidants Against Cancer (Brooklyn, NY: Equinox Press, 2000). In this book I proposed that dietary antioxidants could be used to enhance the effectiveness of conventional cancer treatments, while decreasing many of their side effects.

Since that time, there has been an intense debate in scientific circles, as well as the media, over the advisability of such combinations. An increasing number of patients have turned to such complementary treatments. Many oncologists, meanwhile, have turned against antioxidants and warned their patients not to use them while undergoing conventional treatments. Claims have been made that such substances as vitamin C and vitamin E should be positively avoided. In fact, one researcher has suggested that cancer patients be entirely deprieved of all dietary antioxidants in an attempt to help kill their tumors.

This short talk cannot review the hundreds of scientific experiments that have been performed to test this question. However, I can give you a brief review of the scope of the controversy and provide a way for you to access the key articles and make up your own minds.

01 Marienlyst Conference Centre, Helsingør, Denmark, July

References

• 01 Labriola D., Livingston R.. Possible interactions between dietary antioxidants and chemotherapy.  Oncology. 13 1999;  1003-1012
• 02 Lamson D.. Antioxidants in cancer therapy: their actions and interactions with oncologic therapies.  Alternative Medicine Review. 4 (5) 1999;  304-329
• 03 Salganik R. I., Albright C. D., Rodgers J.. et al. .Enhancement of apoptosis and inhibition of brain tumor growth in transgenic mice by depletion of antioxidants. Annual Meeting of American Society for Cell Biology 1999
• 04 Salganik R. I., Albright C. D., Rodgers J., Kim J., Zeisel S. H., Sivashinskiy M. S., Van Dyke T. A.. Dietary antioxidant depletion: enhancement of tumor apoptosis and inhibition of brain tumor growth in transgenic mice.  Carcinogenesis. 21 (5) 2001;  909-14
• 05 http://www.cmbm.org/conferences/ccc2000/transcripts2000/018.htm
• 06 Conklin K. A.. Dietary antioxidants during cancer chemotherapy: impact on chemotherapeutic effectiveness and development of side effects.  Nutr Cancer. 37 (1) 2000;  1-18

01 Marienlyst Conference Centre, Helsingør, Denmark, July