Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, and one of the co-authors of the paper. While the use of the vitamins has been shown in the past to prevent tissue damage associated with radiation injury, the effect of the vitamins in the treatment of chronic radiation proctitis had not been studied before. Radiation treatment causes oxygen free radicals to form from cells that have been injured by radiation. Oxygen free radicals are highly active molecules that react with cells by changing or damaging their structure. The formation of the oxygen free radicals increases the amount of injury to the cells and results in a chronic condition as blood flow to the cells is decreased.
Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant that can react with damaging oxygen free radicals.
The researchers believe that the antioxidant treatment regimen using the vitamins counteracts and can prevent oxygen free radical injury and increase blood flow to the injured cells of patients with chronic radiation proctitis. Patients purchased the vitamins themselves at the store of their choice. Each patient in the study rated their symptoms in terms of severity and frequency before and after treatment with the vitamins using a questionnaire developed by the researchers. The impact of the symptoms on the lifestyle of the patients was also assessed using a questionnaire. Ten of the patients were assessed again after one year to determine if their initial responses were sustained.