Commentary on the Widely Disseminated Article entitled “Dietary Supplement Use During Chemotherapy and Survival Outcomes of Patients with Breast Cancer Enrolled in a Cooperative Group Clinical Trial (SWOG SO221)” Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, December 2019
The DELCaP study, recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology evaluating the use of dietary supplements during chemotherapy, has alarmed many patients and raised troubling questions for health practitioners.
The purpose of the study was to evaluate associations between ‘antioxidant’ supplement use and breast cancer outcomes in light of the widespread use of supplements during cancer therapies and the ongoing debate over concerns that antioxidants could reduce the cytotoxic effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by chemotherapy agents. The authors claim that the use of dietary supplements before and during chemotherapy is associated with an increased risk of recurrence and, to a lesser extent, death.1
Continue reading “A Clinician’s Perspective on the Use of ‘Antioxidant’ Dietary Supplements During Chemotherapy: Exploring the ‘Body of Evidence’ in Favor of Supporting the Health of Breast Cancer Patients”