Dietary Supplements Not Advisable For Prostrate Cancer

A new research has highlighted the fact that no dietary supplements should be taken during radiation therapy to treat prostate cancer. Such dietary supplements increase the radiosensitivity of normal prostate cell lines, leading to tissue complications.

Many prostate cancer patients choose to take nutritional supplements to improve or increase sexual potency and alleviate symptoms associated with poor prostate health. About half of prostate cancer patients use an herbal or dietary supplement without consulting a doctor.

Researchers at William Beaumont Hospital sought to determine if the widely used prostate-specific dietary supplements change the radiosensitivity of normal prostate. Reports of negative clinical effects for some tumor sites from the use of certain dietary supplements after chemotherapy have been found out.

The cell growth and radiosensitivity of the malignant tumor cells were not affected by any of the supplements, but two of the supplements inhibited the growth rate of the normal prostate cell lines while a third supplement also increased the cellular radiosensitivity of some normal cell lines by inhibiting DNA repair.

"Cancer patients turn to supplements to aid in their treatments for a variety of reasons, but this study proves that what some patients believe is helping them may actually be harming them," said Brian Marples, senior author of the study and a radiobiologist at William Beaumont Hospital.

It is very important for all patients (especially prostate cancer patients) to discuss with their doctors about any type of supplement they may be taking.