Vitamins C and E are anti-oxidants which could interfere with or inhibit radiation treatment. Many of our chemotherapy drugs are from natural sources, but the ingredients are known to have certain toxic effects. In the study, which included patients with lung, breast, prostate and other forms of cancer, women were more likely to use unconventional therapies than men. The results were reported to the American Society for Clinical Oncology in New Orleans. Kate Law, head of clinical programmes at the Cancer Research Campaign, said she was surprised by the extent of complementary medicine use by patients.
People have every right to look for other ways of dealing with their cancer.
She called for a similar study in the UK to establish the extent of alternative therapy use among British patients. Doctors should ask, and patients should reveal, non-prescription therapy use, she said.