Several recent studies show that taking large doses of vitamin E may actually cause a cancer to spread. Not meeting your needs for vitamin E increases your chances of developing certain types of cancer. Chemical reactions in your body produce oxidants that damage cell membranes and cause free radicals to damage the genetic material in cells. This can cause uncontrolled growth which is cancer.
Vitamin E helps to stabilize cell membranes and prevent free radicals from causing cancers.
So, lack of vitamin E can increase your chances of developing cancer. However, taking in too much vitamin E can cause cancer to spread. In 1988, Dr. Mariette Gerber of the Inserm Cancer Center in Montpellier, France showed that women who had the most aggressive breast cancers had the highest blood levels of vitamin E and the lowest concentration of free radical byproducts. These cancers pick up vitamin E much more readily than normal cells do, therefore, getting greater protection from free radicals. Taking large amounts of vitamin E may actually spread existing cancers.